Outbreak
by Denim88
Summary: It hit the shinobi world without warning. Now the survivors must do whatever it takes to survive and outlast the infection. However, is that even possible when the problem only seems to be spreading at a greater and greater rate? NaruSaku & other pairings
1. Run

**Disclaimer: I don't Naruto obviously. I couldn't resist this idea though, the voices in my head told me so...yeah.**

**Hey everyone...yeah, I know, **_**another**_** Naruto fic by me. This idea came probably because Halloween season is upon us. This story just would NOT leave me alone, so I decided I'm going to manhandle the idea an put into words. I hope you enjoy, and I'm sure there will be more later.**

**Outbreak**

**Chapter One: Run**

The atmosphere over Konohagakure had been unusual for the past couple of months. ANBU had made reports of bodies being found in alleys with bite marks in various places, usually over major ateries. Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage of the shinobi village, put the shinobi forces on alert, and informed all high ranking shinobi on patrol duty to report any suspicious activities. After the first month following the incidents with the bodies, it stopped for awhile. However, this didn't bring comfort to any of the ninja...

Rumors from travelers told of similar cases occuring in the surrounding shinobi nations. Three months after the bodies were discovered in Konoha, Sunagakure sent reports of mutilated bodies in it's own country as well. The cases seemed to be getting more gruesome.

Over the past couple of weeks though, the cases were becoming from dissmisive. Missing limbs, long gashes across the chest, and worse predicaments. However, what was most unusual were the cases where areas that looked to be scenes of such cases had lots of blood but no body. Blood would be smeared against walls, but there was no evidence of a body to have contained it.

Then the real trouble occured.

-oOOOo-

Naruto sprinted through the unlit streets of Konoha, sweat dripping in bullet-sized amounts as he ran to his apartment. The screams were getting louder, but he knew he couldn't stop to look. That's how they hunted; scare you stiff, then pounce when you've lost ability to tell where they were. He looked behind quickly while running to see flames from the Hokage Tower, and fought back the tears. No, he refused to cry right now, not when Baa-chan and Ero-sannin had given their lives to let Naruto escape. He would wait until he was safely out of the village until he shed any tears.

Kakashi had given Naruto specific directions as to where to meet him should this happen. Kakashi also mentioned that he should be ready to kill the masked Jonin if for some reason the silver haired man also became 'infected'. Naruto applied chakra to his feet, and quickly sped up as he heard windows breaking behind him, screams from civilians and shinobi alike who weren't as lucky as him.

Another thought raced through the sixteen year old's mind at the thought of his friend and former sensei. He began to worry about his female teammate and close friend, Sakura Haruno. He had not seen or heard from her in the last two days, and that couldn't help but shake the blonde's core. If she had been...no, he couldn't think like that. Sakura was strong, and wouldn't be taken as easily as others.

Sai was another thing. Naruto felt a small pang in his chest, having personally saw the calm boy no more than two hours ago. The boy was not himself, but he still was 'aware'. The shinobi used the term aware to describe those who had become infected, but were trying to fight the influence it had. The 'infected', which were also called hunters or even vampires by some, were still alive and had their reason, but they had an undeniable thirst for blood.

Sai had been sitting in a room in Root Headquarters, a chain strengthened by chakra around his ankles that was in turn wrapped around a pillar, most likely done by the boy himself to keep him from going out and causing harm. Naruto had run to the place to see if he could reach the boy and see if he had been attacked or not. Sai was drooling, and had a wild, yet desperate look in his eyes. Naruto knew right away that Sai would be better off dead, and the black haired boy begged Naruto to end his suffering.

_"N-Naruto...they got me..." the boy choked, and he supressed the urge to strike the blonde in front of him. He coughed up a little blood, and felt his body already changing a bit. Soon he would have the same bloodlust like those who had decided to add him to their ranks._

_"Sai, I tried to get here as soon as I-"_

_The older boy raised a hand, signaling for the blonde to stop, "I know, I know...just...do me a favor...please." He pointed to the sword that was on a wall, and gave Naruto a silent plea._

_Naruto sighed, "I-I can't..."_

_"Please, I don't want this, Naruto!! I won't let this hunger consume me as well!" the boy continued to struggle against his restraints, and felt the metal loosening. The blonde ninja in front of him was looking more and more like prey than friend._

_Naruto saw the look in Sai's eyes, and gave him a sad smile, "Sai, I'm sorry...I'm glad you became my friend."_

_Sai gave the boy a rare smile, "Same...here. I can only hope that you survive this, Naruto. Thanks for your friendship."_

_Naruto kept the smile on his face, and felt tears prick his eyes. He picked the sword off the wall, and gripped it tightly. _

_"Goodbye...Sai." Naruto whispered. _

_"Bye, Naruto."_

_Naruto swung the ninjato, and felt the metal briefly meet resistance as it decapitated his friend. Naruto dropped the blade, and fought the urge to vomit from the surge of emotions he just felt. First Ayame-chan and Teuchi-san, then Neji, and now Sai. Who was next?_

_The blonde decided to go to the Hokage Tower, in hopes that he could find Tsunade-baachan, and maybe find a way to save his friends._

Naruto shook his head. No time to think about the past now, since he had to worry about himself first if he planned on helping the others. It didn't help that he could hear his very own name being screeched out into the night air by his pursuers, demanding his blood.

Naruto quickly made six Shadow clones, and dispersed them into different directions. He hoped that his hunters would think that he was trying to make an escape as the real one quickly made it for an alley way that was next to his apartment. He was actually thankful for once that his apartment wasn't really populated, since this decreased the chances of others possibly being infected in the area.

He stuck to the shadows as he leapt up a fire escape ladder, quietly approaching his room window. He paused as he felt two of his clones dissapear, and the distant screams of anger helped confirm his hunch. They were trying to block the main gate now, and he was aware that the longer he took, the less of a chance he had at getting out of the village without being infected. Another clone was destroyed, and Naruto was now aware that Ino and Chouji were among the predators of the dying village. He shook his head, and lifted his window to quietly enter his apartment via bathroom window.

Naruto quickly gathered a few things in a bag he had been carrying as he rummaged through the bathroom cabinet. Some medical supplies, bandages, and a towel. He then silently ran into his kitchen, and took out a scroll. He sealed the last of his ramen he had, and took some cooking supplies as well. After containing it into his scroll, he turned to run to his bedroom, but stopped. He turned to see that the light over his stove top had been on the whole time since he arrived. Naruto never remembered turning on a single thing as he entered. He was certain that he turned off all the lights in his house before he had left his apartment earlier today...

Naruto tensed up. Someone had been here. He pulled out a kunai from his pouch, ready to strike at a moment's notice. He applied chakra to his ears, and listened for any sounds. After a moment of listening, he found it.

Breathing. Short, raspy breaths. Sounded as if someone was crying. It was coming from his bedroom...

The blonde walked silently as he crept through the darkness. He kept the light on in the kitchen so the possible attackers wouldn't know he was aware of their presence. He reached for the knob of his bedroom door, and cautiously opened it, kunai kept close to the hand opening the door. He looked through the dark of his room, and felt the presence of someone else in the room.

There, across the room by his bedroom window!

Naruto flung the door open and jumped at the unknown intruder. The person turned to face Naruto, and when their eyes meet, Naruto nearly dropped his weapon.

There, sitting in the pale moonlight of his bedroom was the pink-haired kunoichi known as Sakura. Naruto immediately stopped his lunge, and looked at her with a bewieldered expression.

"Sakura??" the blonde gasped, not expecting her at all.

Sakura's eyes were puffy and moist. She had been crying, and still seemed to be. She hugged herself, and backed away from her teammate. She seemed afraid to see him all of the sudden, "Naruto...oh, Naruto...I..."

Naruto suddenly noticed in the glow provided that there was a purple mark on her neck, just below her left jawline.

No...not her too.

Naruto suddenly backed away. She was one of them! He couldn't bring himself to kill her too!

"Sakura-chan...you were..."

"Bitten...yeah." she finished, feeling tears run down her cheeks.

Naruto was suddenly aware of some things he should have noticed sooner. Her eyes weren't bloodshot, or dilated like the rest. Her canines seemed to be pointed, that was evident, but her nails weren't enlongated as well.

"You seem different though..." Naruto managed to say as he remained a safe distance.

She nodded, "I managed to kill the attacker before they fully infected me. It's hard...but I'm fighting the bloodthirst. I had no where else to go, my mother was slaughtered, and Tsunade-sama was dead along with Jiraya-sama in the Hokage Tower. I couldn't find Kakashi-sensei, and Ino's already infected..." she began to cry again, "Please, help me Naruto...I have no one left to turn to...and you've always been my closest friend."

Though his heart screamed to comfort the woman he loved, his shinobi instincts were screaming out 'what does she mean by help her?'. He began to back away, and her eyes trembled with renewed tears. She stood up and began to approach him, still crying.

"S-Sakura-chan...I don't...I..." he was afraid to hurt her feelings, but his mind was telling him to grab his things and run.

"I can't fight it, Naruto! It's too much for me!" she sobbed, but luckily she still kept her volume down enough that attention wouldn't be brought from those outside, if there was anyone for that matter.

Naruto was shaking now. Sakura was one of them now too. He was to avoid her at all costs, unless he killed her. Still, she wasn't _completely_ overcome by the infection. He shed a few silent tears, "Why did it have to be you, Sakura-chan? Why not me instead?"

Sakura suddenly without warning lunged at Naruto. With surprising strength, she pinned him to the wall, and let out a ragged breath, "Naruto...I can't fight it..."

The pounding of his heart and vessels. It drove her nuts, and she had lost the will to fight the craving. She gave Naruto a sad look as she remained firm in her grasp on him, "Naruto...I'm sorry."

She sunk her fangs into his neck, and he let out a whimper as her teeth pierced his flesh. She felt the metallic fluid flow, and used her chakra to prevent the blood from flowing out too fast. The interesting thing about the infected was that they retained their intelligence and ability to use chakra, but lost their ability to harness it as well as they could have. Sakura was an exception to this, seeing as her chakra coils remained perfectly intact and not mutated by the infection. Her thirst for blood was there, but she wasn't eager to try and satisfy it, unlike the others.

Naruto was trying to break free as he felt his teammate's fangs sink deeper, and he let out a pained yell as he tried to futily escape. She pushed him against the wall, and tried to comfort him as she lapped up the fluid from her teammate. She refused to take more than needed. It wasn't like she didn't have blood of her own. The infected weren't dead, unlike what many believed.

After a few seconds, Naruto gave up, and was ready to feel the side effects of the bite kick in. First he would probably feel immense pain, and then his vision would blur for awhile. Tsunade and the medics had managed to record the side effects and symptoms before the attack on the village, so Naruto was well aware that he had little time left. He wondered if he would become as bloodthirsty as the others, or if he was going to be like Sakura was, reluctant, but unable to fight the hunger.

Five minutes passed, and Naruto soon realized something. He felt no rise in temperature, or blur of vision. He felt the tight embrace of his teammate, and noticed she had stopped her feeding. She now was slowly licking his wound while sobbing out apologies. She did admit, the taste of blood wasn't all that bad, but she refused to find any comfort or enjoyment in such things. The only comfort she had now was that at least Naruto was alive, and not mauled like others had been. He would hopefully remain with her, and they could live the rest of their cursed lives together.

Five minutes turned to ten minutes. Naruto still felt no change, and was wondering why. The effects were usually almost immediate, since the infection spread quickly throughout the body. Perhaps he had some immunity to it? How though?

Naruto looked at the pink-haired girl, and brushed away a tear. He wasn't really upset, despite the fact that she had attacked him. He could have killed her, though the thought alone disgusted him. He lifted her chin, and smiled. She still looked beautiful, despite her sligthly animal-like irises, and her vampiric fangs. If Naruto weren't so distraught at the moment, he would have said she was actually cute in such an appearance. However, the fact that he remained unaffected by the bite was still bothering him.

Sakura began to notice this too. She gave the blonde a curious, yet worried look. He wasn't on the ground clutching his head or stomach, he wasn't salivating or lashing out randomly. He was simply smiling at her, and she felt horrible. How could he be smiling after what she had done.

"You're...okay??" she asked, stating more suprise than concern. His smile turned to a grin.

"I guess so...but I don't know why. Maybe I'm immune or something. The bite hurts, but Kyuubi will heal it in..." Naruto paused, and felt as though someone slammed him in the back of the head with the answer he was looking for, "...that's it. Kyuubi is responsible for my immunity."

Sakura's eyes widened, and she nodded, "The fox spirit's chakra heals you when you get injured...so I guess it must be fighting off the infection as well." Sakura felt some unknown weight lift off her shoulders. She was one of the lucky ones, she had been able to heal herself quickly after she killed the random Chunin that bit her, and removed part of the virus inside of her, and lessened the effects by chakra purging. Naruto, however, needed no such talents; he had the Nine-tailed Fox. Naruto was still free of infection.

"Sakura...I have to leave Konoha. Kakashi-sensei and a few other survivors are going to meet some couple miles away from here...we can't stay here. I know that you're...not the same anymore, but I also see that your still the same girl I always knew. I can tell that you don't want to feed on others. So...if you want, you can come with me. If anyone attacks you, I'll protect you." Naruto said with a small smile.

Sakura couldn't help but smile as well. He still was her friend, and still cared about her. Still, the fact remained that she had the hunger, "What if I get the urge to...feed?"

Naruto grabbed her hand, and put it against his healing bitemark. She gasped as he held her, "Then I will be the one to supply you with what you need. Kyuubi will keep me healthy, so I'll keep you from your thirst. We'll stay together."

She let a few more tears fall, "Naruto...I could never ask that of you."

"You didn't. I offered myself to you. Besides, you can still digest regular food as well. The blood is just...a new need for you. I'll give you that blood."

Sakura couldn't help but smile, and wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck as she buried her face into the crook of his neck, "Naruto..."

Naruto held her for another minute before they broke their embrace, "We have to hurry. Kakashi-sensei said that once the attacks would start, he wouldn't wait more than fifty-six hours for me to meet him and any survivors. Do you have you need at your house?"

Sakura however only surprised Naruto more when she nodded to a backpack in the corner of the bedroom, "I planned on staying here...my other house was completely raided and I couldn't stand the smell. I have enough supplies for a good week's worth of travel if needed."

Naruto nodded, "Sounds good. Two of my clones are still alive out there, but from what I gathered, the main gate is heavily guarded by the hunters. We could try and leave from the eastern or southern exit, but it's still a risk. I'm willing to do anything to get us out of here alive though."

Sakura gave the blonde a nod, and after the two had all their belongings ready, they leapt out of the window and stayed to the shadows. The inhuman cries filled the air, yet the two felt safer than ever with each other as they headed for their escape.

Several minutes later, the two managed to escape the walls of the village. How they did, they weren't quite sure. They didn't move for a few minutes, just to make sure they weren't being followed. After they believed they were safe, they darted out to the forest, the only sound being the bugs filling the air as they ran through the canopy. Naruto turned breifly to stare at the Hokage Monuments, wondering if he would ever see them again. After a heavy sigh, they continued onward. They only stopped once, and that was so Naruto could help Sakura with her 'hunger'. Eventually, they would have to camp for the night, but they wouln't build a fire. The light risked being spotted.

As Naruto lay with the pink-haired girl with in a sleeping bag with a thick blanket draped over them, he looked up to the stars. He always loved stargazing. It helped him forget his problems for a little while. The serene atmosphere along with the warmth of Sakura's sleeping form were enough to get Naruto to sleep.

'I only hope we're not the only ones who escaped...' Naruto thought as his body gave into exhaustion, sending him into a peaceful slumber.

**end of Chapter One: Yeah, this is different from my other works by a long shot. Still, the idea wouldn't stop bugging me, so here it is. Reviews are appreciated, and I'm sure I'll have more to add soon. This is kind of developing along the way, but just so you know, I have no idea how long it will be. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it so far!**


	2. Hide

**Disclaimer: Hey, still don't own Naruto. You know, I really wish Japan had a festivity like Halloween (I actually don't really know if they do, shame on me for assuming they don't). I'm pretty sure Naruto would be bouncing off the walls from the sugar intake.**

**A.N: Wow, I'm surprised I got positive feedback on this story. Thanks to those who left me some feedback! I mean, I've read a few horror fics that dealt with this idea, but they were either discontinued (or on a very long hiatus) or they were stories involving Sasuke as a vampire, which makes sense, seeing as he almost looks like one. Well, enough rambling. On with the story.**

**Oh yeah, just so you know, this is before the Konoha ninja faced off against Kakuzu and Hidan, so there's some changes in whose alive and what not.**

**Chapter Two: Hide**

Kakashi was sitting on a tree branch, listening to the calm autumn winds blow through the forest. He quietly read his book, one of the few possessions he had on hand when he left Konoha. Aside from that, he had only the bare essentials with him at camp. The silver-haired Jonin was currently on watch while the small group of Leaf nin back at camp were preparing dinner. Kakashi was actually surprised by how many shinobi had made it here, some by sheer luck he assumed. He had only informed a few of the emergency rendezvous, and even less were even there at the moment.

Kakashi suddenly felt a presence behind him, and instinctively reached for a kunai, only be stopped by a male's voice, "Easy, it's only me, Kakashi."

The older man turned to see Asuma Sarutobi, one of the few Jonin who had made it to the camp. The bearded man had suffered the worst, seeing his nephew Konohamaru killed before his very eyes, and two of his students were infected as well. Aside from Shikamaru Nara, Asuma had been unaccompanied by anyone when he arrived.

"Sorry, but they still give off vitals like humans, so you can't be too sure." Kakashi spoke, putting his weapon away.

Asuma nodded, "Dinner's ready. Hana Inuzuka and Kiba will be taking over for guard duty now."

The masked Jonin nodded, and the two went to the secluded campground they had made.

All in all, their group of survivors was only ten in number, but that didn't mean more shinobi wouldn't make it. Among them was Kakashi and Asuma, Shikamaru, Hana and Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata and Hanabi Hyuuga, Moegi, Iruka, and Anko. Kakashi had expected less, but wasn't unhappy that such a number was here. As far as he knew, they were the only remaining Leaf nin who were not dead or infected.

The two Inuzuka clan members looked up from their meal, and nodded as the two male Jonin sat down to eat. The two siblings, along with their canine partners, jumped off into the trees to watch for danger. Kiba had actually been quiet for the majority of the time, and Kakashi couldn't blame him. Aside from his sister and himself, the entire Inuzuka clan was either dead, or part of the other side now. The dogs of the clan were no exceptions to the infection aparantly. The brother and sister had to kill almost all of the dogs in order to escape. A few of the canines had sacrificed themselves to protect their masters, and it was actually quite devastating to see, according to Hana.

The two Hyuuga sisters had for some odd reason or another, became closer as a result. Hinata and Hanabi had recieved orders from their father to escape, and had ordered their cousing Neji to protect them at all costs. He did just that. He had managed to stop a horde of infected from reaching the two sisters, but as a result, had been attacked. Hinata and Hanabi never stayed around to find out, and had only each other left to fall back on. Well, Hinata did recieve comfort from Kiba, and Hanabi was friends with Moegi. The Hyuuga clan, however, was down to two kunoichi as of now.

Moegi had been with her team when the attack started, and Ebisu and instructed them to head to the Hokage Tower. Udon had been killed on the way by a kunai thrown by an infected ANBU, and Konohamaru had been killed shortly after they reached his house by a random civilian. Moegi ran after Asuma told her to get her things and leave for the rendezvous as he killed the approaching attackers. She quickly packed her things, and was going to tell her parents to come with, only to find them trying to attack her as well. Moegi had killed them, and rather quickly too. She hadn't talked much since she arrived.

Iruka and Anko were actually here by mere chance. They never heard about the meeting area some fifty miles southwest of Fire Country's borders. The two were planning on leaving to hopefully find an isolated area to lay low for awhile, and happened to run into Kakashi along the way. The three then made their way to the rendezvous point, and had waited for about forty-eight hours now. Iruka had told Kakashi that he had killed a few of his own academy students, and still felt sick about it. Anko had run to the academy to help evacuate the students, but found the building in flames. She had run into Iruka, and the two decided to stick together.

Thus was how the group came to be. They weren't happy, but they were unharmed...and still free.

Kakashi had just been ready to eat some of the trout they had grilled when the two Inuzuka siblings appeared from the trees, "We smell someone." Kiba reported, while Hana merely confirmed with a nod. The two dogs remained alert and sniffing the air.

"Can you recognize the scent?" Asuma asked, putting out his cigarette.

"It's familiar, but I think they've been masking their smell with jutsu of some sort. I can't get a good whiff of it." Kiba replied.

"We believe that they may be survivors though since there's only two of them." Hana added.

The group looked to the Hyuuga sisters, and they both nodded. With a quick focus of chakra, the two girls activated their Byakugan. A brief silence fell upon the group, and then Hinata nodded, "You're right, two people, heading here. They're about two miles northeast of us, and approaching fast. One has very large chakra coils, and the other's appears to be well balanced out. It also appears to be...wait...wait a second..."

The group was silent as Hinata and Hanabi focused on the direction of the approaching figures, who had yet to be in actual sight. Suddenly, a smile spread over Hinata's face, and a few tears ran down her face, "They're alive!"

"Who?" the group asked.

Hanabi decided to speak, "It's Sakura-san and Naruto Uzumaki." The younger Hyuuga herself couldn't help but smile.

Iruka got up, "Naruto's alive?!" He grinned, and suddenly looked like nothing had happened these past couple of days, "Does he appear injured at all?"

The two sisters shook their heads, and Iruka let out a breath he had been holding the whole time.

Kakashi didn't show it, but he had silently thanked the heavens above for this. He had been worried about his two students, and to hear they were alive and unharmed was a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

The group all turned to what they believed to be the direction from which Naruto and Sakura were coming from. The fire had been extinguished by dirt, and they were now holding their weapons at ready in case it was an attack. Though they were hoping to see their friends, they couldn't risk being caught off guard.

-ooOoo-

Naruto and Sakura were now about two miles from the designated meeting area that Naruto had spoken about. It had been a long journey today for the two, and they had passed by the border of Fire Country about three hours ago. They would have taken less time if it weren't for the fact that they made sure to avoid any villages or settlements. They had eaten only a brief breakfast that day, and hadn't stopped since. Naruto was showing signs of mild exhaustion, yawnining every now and then, yet still alert. Sakura, however, was experiencing different problems...

"Naruto..." she called in a weary tone.

Naruto didn't hear her.

"_Naruto!_" she repeated, a little louder and more anxiously. The blonde turned to see that his teammate had slowed down a bit. She was clutching her head, and gave the blonde a desperate look. Naruto nodded, and immediately stopped.

"That time again?" he asked quietly, giving her a calm smile.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. It's just with us being so close to the rendezvous I don't want to risk hurting someone." she apologized, but already knew Naruto was not mad at her.

He held her hand and gave it a soft squeeze, and grinned, "I told twice before, I offered myself to you. Besides, it doesn't really hurt me. Not to mention I can help you in some way."

Sakura frowned, "If it wasn't for the Kyuubi's rapid healing powers, you would have been unable to travel from blood loss by now. It's been about thirty-six hours since we left Konoha, and the amount I drained would have been dangerous for the average shinobi."

Sakura had timed herself on her condition. Every eight to ten hours she needed to feed, and consumed about a pint per feeding. She felt a bit queasy knowing this, but at least it was Naruto's blood only, and not some innocent child or civilian. She had come to find Naruto's blood had a heavy metallic taste to it, and thought it weird to think of these thoughts. She felt refreshed when it was consumed, despite her guilt everytime she did so.

The two sat on a tree limb, Naruto leaning against the end where the large arm meet the base. He sat cross legged as Sakura sat on his lap, embarassed by the close proximity. She had done this procedure in this fashion twice before, and found it much easier than standing or kneeling.

"I won't take too long." Sakura said, and quickly punctured the skin of Naruto's neck as he hissed a little. Sakura rubbed the blondes back as she unconciously slowed the blood flow by applying chakra to her lips. It was almost...sensual, if it weren't for the fact that vital fluids were being drained from the blonde.

"We'll have to explain to the others right away, okay, Sakura?" Naruto whispered, trying to avoid hurting himself by talking. Sakura gave a faint reply of confirmation as she lapped up the crimson fluid, almost caught in the moment of feeding. A small part of her wanted to simply let the blood flow freely as she drank to her heart's content...a very, miniscule part of her. She unconciously crushed the idea, knowing that she would only be doing more harm to herself in the long run. Naruto was her only lifeline now, and she would not...no, she _could not_ lose him.

A few minutes passed, and Naruto felt Sakura began to gently lick the wound like she always did when she was finished feeding. Naruto couldn't help but shiver upon the contact, all feelings of pain suddenly vanishing. Sakura let out a giggle, and smirked at the blonde. She felt the salty taste of sweat on his neck, "Naruto, what's wrong?" She couldn't help but tease him, though she knew it was unfair.

Did she have any idea what she did to him when she licked his wound? Sure, it was a little...weird, but heck, it was one of the best sensations he had ever felt before. His heart was pounding, and he felt Sakura's eyes looking at him. He turned to face a warm smile, "I'm fine, Sakura-chan."

She giggled again as she rubbed her cheek against his, "Good, because I don't want you to feel any discomfort about this..." she suddenly became serious, "Naruto...thanks again for...well, you know...helping me. It...really means alot. I owe you my life."

Naruto gave the kunoichi a hug as she let out a content sigh, "Your welcome, Sakura. I would do anything for you...I hope you know that."

Naruto and Sakura suddenly heard a whizzing sound in the air, and ducked as a kunai stuck into a tree a few inches from where they were. They looked to see a grinning woman with purple colored hair who sported a large trench coat.

"Anko-san?!" Naruto spoke out, suddenly a bit worried. Just how long had they been here.

"Naruto, Sakura...how are you two doing?"the Jonin woman asked in an unusually serious tone. Naruto and Sakura suddenly noticed about nine others behind her, and he let out a sigh.

Sakura stood up, helping Naruto get up as well, "Sorry, we-"

"We know perfectly well what you were doing..." Kakashi spoke, walking out of the shadows, followed by the others.

Naruto stood protectively in front of Sakura, unarmed, but ready to fight if need be. Come hell or high water, he would protect the most precious person in his life.

"Naruto, Sakura...are you two...?" Iruka said, a fearful look on his face as he held three shurikan in his right hand.

This time, Sakura spoke, "Before you strike me, listen." she pleaded, her slit-like irises shimmering in the moonlight, "I was bitten, and yes, I have the infection...to an extent. I don't like it, and would rather not have it. I removed a major amount of the infection before I was consumed by it. I am still the same Sakura Haruno that you all know...just...different."

Kakashi turned to her, a concerned look on his face, but careful in his approach nevertheless, "What about Naruto? Shouldn't he be infected as well then, seeing as you, um, bit him...and more than a couple times from what we heard?"

"I should be, but I seem to have an immunity to the infection." the blonde replied.

"How is that?" asked Iruka.

Naruto gave the group a solemn look, "Well, most of you older people should be able to take a guess...it's part of my 'talent'... I guess." Naruto put a hand over his stomach.

Kakashi, Anko, Iruka, and Asuma all gave Naruto an understanding look. Kakashi decided to speak, "Then...I guess that makes sense."

The younger shinobi gave the Jonin all a confused look, "What do you mean?"

Kakashi again turned to the blonde, and gave a sigh, "Naruto, I know it must have been a difficult time for you two...but I think you're going to have to share your secret with the others..."

Naruto gave a sigh, but smiled a little, "Okay, I understand. Um, I think we should probably head back to camp first though."

Naruto felt that it was going to be a long night for him and Sakura tonight.

-ooOoo-

Deep in Rice Country, a single person moved through the shadows of the small village of Otogakure. It was dead silence aside from the hollow wind that blew through the desolate village. The moon provided the only light available for the traveling figure.

Sasuke Uchiha landed ontop of a roof, and quietly scanned the area with his Sharingan before deactivating his bloodline. He was safe...for the moment. He was lucky to get out of Orochimaru's underground chambers with his life, let alone his sanity. He couldn't say the same for the other Oto-nin, the Snake Sannin included.

The Hidden Sound had been lucky in avoiding the infection for so long compared to the other shinobi villages. However, this was due to the fact that there were so many underground headquarters and that the village was so well hidden from foreign eyes. However, when a few wandering infected victims entered the civilian area, it spread like wildfire to dry brush. The shinobi were ill prepared for it, despite Orochimaru's awareness to the widespread epidemic. Sasuke saw his chance to escape when the infected had broken into Orochimaru's personal chambers where the Uchiha had been. Sasuke let the leader of Otogakure and his right hand man, Kabuto, deal with the unstoppable flood of infected while the dark haired boy made his escape through a secret exit that only Orochimaru and his most trusted subordinates knew about.

Sasuke heard a scream down the road, and hid in the shadows as a woman was trying to desperately outrun an infected Genin. Sasuke quickly scanned the area, and sensed no others present. He pulled out a shurikan, and flung it at the attacker. The Genin boy fell to the ground, weapon protruding from his skulll. The woman, suddenly aware that she wasn't being chased, looked around frantically. Sasuke would not reveal himself, but remained in place as the woman gave up her search for her unknown savior, and ran down the road, toward the nearest exit of the village. She would probably die anyway, but he didn't like the fact that someone who was innocent could die in such a way, or worse, become one of the hunters. At least she had a chance.

Sasuke absent-mindedly rubbed at his neck where his curse mark should have been. It wasn't bothering him as of recently, he didn't even feel the slight twinge he felt when he used his chakra. He wondered if that had to do with his now dead sensei. Sasuke had watched the man be ripped to shreds as at least twelve shinobi ran at him without fear. The Snake Sannin had held his own for awhile, but even Sasuke knew they stood no chance. That's why he escaped.

Five minutes later found Sasuke outside the village, running in the tall, grassy fields as he headed southward. He would loop around Fire Country since he heard that the infection was quite bad there. He would need to use a boat to get around the massive neighboring country, but it wasn't like he was in a rush to get anywhere. He had all of the rest of his life to get what he wanted done.

"Itachi...you better be alive...I'll still have to kill you..." spoke the raven-haired boy as he ran through the cool the night air, not intending to stop any time soon.

**end of Chapter Two: Well, there you have it. Chapter two completed. I personally liked this one, it was a bit...darker than my other work so far. I didn't think I would be capable of doing this, but I'm content with what I've done here thus far. Again, this is really just hanging in the air, and I have no clue how long it will be. Judging from what I've got so far though, it seems like it will be lengthy. Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll update again soon enough! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Recover

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, because I'm pretty sure that if I had it my way, Naruto would have had a demon snake inside of him or some kind of reptile, not a fox (avoids kunai thrown by rabid Kyuubi-fans). Sorry, I love the furball to death, but I like snakes too. That's why Orochimaru irks me so much sometimes; he gives snakes a bad rep...anyway, enough ranting, eh?**

**Outbreak**

**Chapter Three: Recover**

The sun was rising as four figures bounded through the treetops of the southern border of Fire Country. They were weary, and had been traveling for about six hours nonstop, excluding the occasional pitstop for a quick five minute break.

"How much further?" asked a female in a white, coat tailed shirt, carrying a large scroll on her back. The older man in the front with spiked, mane like hair of the color white turned to look over his shoulder.

"About twenty minutes or so. We're making good time, and hopefully Kakashi will still be there with any survivors." replied the Toad Sannin, who had been found by the other three in the group.

"Jiraiya-sama, do you think that Kakashi's...?" asked the medic nin of the group, Shizune.

Jiraiya gave her a shake of his head, "The guy may be lazy and unmotivated much of the time, but he's not one of the best Jonin in the shinobi nations for nothing."

The green-suited taijutsu specialist of the group gave his portion of agreement, "Jiraiya-sama is right, Shizune-san. Kakashi-sensei is a talented ninja, and that is why Gai-sensei saw him as such a great and worthy rival..."

Tenten looked to her teammate, and as of now, only remaining link to a family. Neji was killed defending Hinata and Hanabi, and Gai-sensei had been lost in an explosion, and they never got a chance to see if he was alive. Shizune had found them in the midst of all the chaos, and they decided to leave with what they had. Jiraiya had been assumed dead, but they found the Sannin resting in a small thicket outside of Konoha's borders. Shizune gave him a quick treatment with her skilled medical abilities, and the four headed off to a destination that Jiraiya knew about.

It hadn't been easy for the two Chunin of the group, especially when Lee never got a chance to try and look for his idol and teacher, along with the fact that his rival and friend, Neji Hyuuga, was dead. Tenten wasn't feeling much better, since she lost two close friends...well, Neji had been a bit more to her, but she never told him.

Tenten felt a tear roll down her cheek, and she brushed it away. She should be thankful she was alive, and that she still had her teammate Lee with her. Lee had swore that he would protect her with his very life after they left, and Tenten found comfort in this. Even after all the horror they had witnessed, Lee could still force a smile on his face. He was trying to be strong, so she should do the same for him.

Shizune, for a lack of a better word, was withdrawn. She lost her friend and closest person to a relative. Tsunade had told her to run while she was fighting off the infected, and try and make it to Suna if possible, stating that they were dealing with the problem much better. Shizune had debated, that is until the flaming ceiling in the Hokae Tower collapsed, seperating the two. Shizune knew that Tsunade was either dead...or worse. She cried, that is until she felt unbridled anger surge through her. After that moment of sorrow, she became a merciless killer. Any and all infected who had jumped at her were met with noxious poison fumes, or a spray of senbon. She found the two younger Chunin fighting there way to the exit, and decided right then and there that she would protect them from harm, in hope that perhaps she could redeem herself for not saving her mentor.

Jiraiya had become the leader of this group the minute he was found. He had a deep gash in his chest, but was lucky never bitten. He had relied on a Fire Technique to incinerate his enemies while he escaped, never thinking about the fact that his former teammate and lifelong friend had just been killed in an eruption of explosive tags. Only after he saw Shizune did he feel the emotions hit him, and quietly asked to be left alone for a few minutes while he let out the tears he didn't think he would ever shed. Deep down, the man knew he never would have been anything more with the blonde woman that he had known for so long, yet it didn't keep him from dreaming. No she was gone. He never thought he would outlive her. She even bet that the sly old man would find a way to outlive her somehow, despite the fact that he lead a more adventurous life than she ever did.

Looks like she finally won a bet after all...

"Looks like we're about two miles away from the meeting point. You three be ready for anything, got it?" spoke the Sannin. A nod was all he recieved from the three.

'Naruto...you better be alive and unharmed...we would be in a load of trouble if you became one of them with the Kyuubi inside of you..." thought the older man as they continued forward.

-ooOoo-

Sakura sat next to Naruto as the others were all sitting away from the two. Aside from Kakashi, Iruka, Anko, Moegi, and Hinata, the other group members were rather wary of her. She couldn't blame them, and at least took comfort in the fact that they accepted her into the group. Kiba was leery around her, but only out of instinct. Hinata had asked her several times if she felt well, and Sakura stated that she was healthy as usual...considering that now she fed upon her teammate's blood now.

She took another bite out of her ration bar, and felt the bland flavored food go down her throat. She relished in the fact that she could still eat like a regular human...well, she still was human. Kakashi had even apologized after the rather quick interrogation he gave the pink-haired girl and to her surprise, gave her a hug. She cried into his shoulders, and said she was scared of what was happening to them. Of how she saw her best friend and rival Ino attack some innocent Genin as though it was a mere game. Ino had tried to have Sakura join her in the hunt, but Sakura, fearing for her sanity, said she was feeling ill at the moment. Ino, still having all her emotions, nodded with understanding, stating that it can be hard to get used to the 'feeling'. She had gave Sakura a quick hug, and said that she planned on remaining in Konoha until she was sure all the survivors were either hunted down, or 'changed'. It was disturbing to see her best friend act so casual about killing fellow shinobi, but was relieved that at least Ino still cared for her friends. She even promised that if she found Naruto that she would save him for her, believing Sakura would want to claim Naruto as her own.

_"So, Forehead, you got bitten too?" Ino asked, wiping a some fresh blood from her chin as she got up from the body of a motionless Genin boy._

_"I guess..." Sakura replied to the blonde._

_Ino simply smiled, "Aw, don't worry about it. It's not as bad as you think. Besides, we're all still alive, not to mention we can still use chakra."_

_"R-right..." Sakura nodded, feeling unsure of her best friend's words._

_Ino gave her a sad smile, "I was feeling the same way at first...then Chouji let me find him. He said his family was dead, and he needed help. I could only think of one way of helping him while keeping him alive at the same time. So, I attacked him, bit him...and he's happier now. We've got each other now."_

_Sakura gave her friend a smile, "Ino...thanks for being here for me. It's just...I don't think I can handle the whole blood drinking aspect of life now."_

_Ino sighed, "I don't exactly like it either...why do you think I only go after the fit and healthy shinobi around here? I mean, some of us are going after kids, but I for one will never do that unless desperation calls for it. If they can't defend themselves in any way against me, they aren't worth the effort."_

_Sakura nodded again, then a thought hit her, "I wonder if Naruto's okay..."_

_Ino gave the pink haired girl a surprised look, then gave her a grin with her new set of fanged canines, "Oh...so that's how it's been with you two. Well, if I see him, I'll bring him to you before anyone else takes a bite at him. I let you claim him as your...um...what's the word...ah, your 'eternal partner'."_

_Sakura almost seemed fearful as Ino said this, but realized that it was Ino's new way of showing her friendship...by not feeding on Naruto, "Thanks, Ino-pig."_

_Ino smiled again, "No problem, Billboard Brow. Now don't be a stranger, okay? In fact, in a few days we'll be hunting down the survivors in the surrounding area. If I find the ramen-loving knucklehead, I'll bring him to you, okay?"_

_Sakura nodded, then watched as Ino leapt off into the night, probably to find some helpless victim, and depending on their condition, kill them or let them join the infected. Sakura shuddered at the thought of how Ino took this so casually...then again, that was probably due to the fact that she was completely infected. Sakura somehow avoided the whole psychological change because she was skilled in medical jutsu. However, she was infected enough that she was among them._

_Her thoughts eventually drifted to the blonde haired boy that she had been worrying about for the last twelve hours since she had been bitten. Truth was...she really didn't want him to be found by anyone but herself. She wondered why this was, but blew it off. She decided to head back to her destroyed home, gather whatever possessions may have survived the damage to the house, and leave for Naruto's home. She would decide what to do after that._

_"Naruto...I need you now more than ever..." she whispered as she ignored the pain in her stomach that demanded sustenance in the form of blood. She was worried about what would happen if she met up with Naruto...would she be able to control the hunger? She had no clue?_

Sakura thought about that. She did feel a bit...possessive around the blonde. That was the main reason why she went immediately to the Jinchuriki's house after gathering her things. She _did_ feel a need to be with him. She couldn't understand it at first, Ino said that the kunoichi seemed to be that way. She had Chouji, for example. Chouji still was the eating machine as usual, but now he had a diet consisting of two pints of blood every seven hours as well.

The pink-haired kunoichi sighed, and felt her companions' eyes fall on her. They were obviously a bit unsure of her, but they were able to accept her as part of the team, seeing as she didn't lunge in for the kill whenever they came near to her. Sakura knew it would take time, but she was determined to regain full trust in her friends. They were all she had left.

Anko and Hanabi jumped down from the treetops, each with a look of relief and possible happiness. Anko decided to speak, "We've spotted four others coming this way! I think Jiraiya is one of them."

Naruto was first to respond, "P-Pery Sage is alive?!"

"Easy, Naruto...they could be infected." Kakashi spoke, and got up, "Now then, everyone to your spots. If they show any signs of infection, we take them out...understood?"

A murmer of agreement was made amongst the group.

-ooOoo-

Moments passed, and suddenly four figures arrived at the clearing where a campfire had been put out (recently too, Jiraiya thought). He looked around, and smiled, "Shizune, Lee, Tenten, drop your weapons. It seems our group wants proof that we're uninfected."

They all did as told, and a moment later, the group of twelve shinobi appeared around them, weapons at ready. The voice of a certain masked Jonin spoke up, "Jiraiya-sama...are you and the others all right?"

The Sannin gave the younger man a nod, "We're all untouched by the virus, and lucky to be alive. We never sensed anyone following us, so we seem to be okay. I set up traps along the way just in case. How many hours do we have until we leave?"

Asuma decided to respond, "Well, I guess we could leave in four hours if you four wish to rest for awhile. Not much more than that though."

Jiraiya nodded, then noticed a certain orange clothed Genin amongst the group members, "Naruto...I thought you'd make it. Sakura too...good."

Kakashi decided to speak, "Actually...I think we need to tell you four a few things regarding both Sakura and Naruto...seeing as it will clear up any questions about the two later on."

Jiraiya looked from the Jonin man to Naruto, then to Sakura, and stopped upon looking at her eyes.

Her pupils were almost like slits...and he could faintly see a pair of fangs behind her upper lip.

Nothing else aside from that though, which was odd. No sharpened nails, no striking change in chakra signature from either of them.

"I see...very well then. We've got some time." spoke the Toad Sage.

"Naruto...I think you should start off first by telling Tenten and Lee about your tenant." Kakashi spoke, and the blonde gave his former teacher a sad smile. He hoped they would be as accepting of him as the others had...

-ooOoo-

Sakura and Naruto were relieved to see that the four were able to take in the information so well. Naruto was surprised when Tenten gave him a hug after he briefly explained about how he held the Kyuubi. She shed a few tears and then said, "So that's why you've had it so rough...Neji was right, you are the strongest person we've ever known." Lee simply stated that no demon would truly be as youthful as Naruto was, and that if Tenten-chan was able to see him as the boy he really was, then he was no exception. Lee then gave Naruto his nice guy pose. Overall, the responses from his friends had been shock, surprise, and saddness. No one aimed any hate at him, and if they were angry with him, they didn't let it show.

Sakura was surprised when the four newcomers each gave her sad nod. Probably because they understood that she was going through difficult times, but was able to find some comfort in Naruto. She gave them her word that she would tell them ahead of time if anything bad was going to happen with her. As long as Naruto was around her, they were _all_ going to be safe.

After a brief rest, the group of sixteen ninja left the campsite, and left no trace of ever having been there. The group was made up of: Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, Shikamaru Nara, Anko Mitarashi, Hinata and Hanabi Hyuuga, Kiba and Hana Inuzuka, Moegi, Iruka Umino, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Shizune, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Jiraiya. Together, these sixteen Leaf nin had one word on their minds...

...survive...

-ooOoo-

Gaara looked over a rooftop of the Kazekage mansion with a expressionless face. The sun indicated that it was close to two o' clock or so. He was asking for trouble standing outside at this time. However, standing out here proved to be much better for spotting trouble than from inside a building.

Suna had for the most part, found a way to isolate itself from the infected. The wall around the village was thick and high enough that any encroaching forces could be wiped out before they reached the inside. Gaara wasn't willing to take risks, and was comforted that the village itself could last for months on its food and water supply.

The occasional scream from an infected ran through his ears, but it was immediately cut off by some weapon of some sort. The shinobi of the Sand wouldn't be taken that easily.

"Gaara, we've got a group of infected heading this way from the north." came the voice of his eldest sibling and only sister, Temari.

"How many?" Gaara asked without turning to face her.

"Our scouts reported about thirty or so, mostly that of Chunin and Special Jonin...some are from other countries it seems..." Temari replied.

"I assume that some are from Earth Country, seeing as they're from the north." Gaara stated as he turned to face his sister. She merely nodded.

Gaara lifted a hand, and a cloud of sand formed underneath the two as he floated towards the northern part of Suna. If he had been informed of this, then it probably meant that the infected shinobi could cause possible danger to the guards.

As the two landed, two Sand Jonin ran up to Gaara, "Kazekage-sama, the group is heading this way...and rather slowly for that matter. It seems they're simply walking." spoke one of the ninja.

Gaara looked towards the north and noticed the faint outline of a group of people heading towards the village. He nodded, and turned to the Jonin, "Tell the other guards to remain at their posts. This could be a trap, and the infected north of here may very well be a diversion. I'll see what I can do about them in the meantime."

The Jonin bowed, and jumped off to report the news to the others. Gaara looked towards the horizon again, and closed his eyes, "There's more coming from the southeast...this was planned. I can probably take out one of the groups, but we'll need about twenty or so Jonin to cover the southern end of Suna." he paused then looked to Temari.

"I'll go get some forces ready." she replied.

"Temari." Gaara said, stopping Temari as she prepared to head back to the village interior.

"What's up Gaara?"

"Be careful..." Gaara said with a hint of concern. Temari gave him a soft smile, nodded, and jumped off to recruit the necessary number of shinobi needed for guarding the southern area.

The remaining shinobi looked to his leader, "Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara turned to the man, who appeared to be no more than two years his senior, "Do you have a family?"

The man nodded, "My sister and mother managed to survive the first attack...otherwise everyone else is dead that was in my family."

"You've been out here since before sunrise. Go home and rest, and spend time with your family. Just because we're going through hard times doesn't mean we can't enjoy time with our precious people."

The Jonin bowed, "Thank you, Kazekage-sama." The man then left quietly. Gaara turned to the approaching infected, who seemed to be only a little closer than before.

"Kankuro...I wish you were still here...but I promise that I won't fail this village. It's the least I could do to honor your sacrifice for all of us..." Gaara said as a small frown formed on his face.

_Gaara had tried to stop Kankuro from going to the gates to fight off the infection, saying that it was suicide. Kankuro merely grinned, and said that he already knew that. It had been Suna's darkest hour, and about one hundred infected were trying to break into Suna. Gaara suddenly realized what Kankuro was planning to do as the puppet master attached explosive tags on every inch of his puppets. _

_"Kankuro...I order you to stop immediately." Gaara spoke to his older brother._

_"Sorry, but I'm the older brother here, Gaara. I don't have to listen to you." Kankuro spoke, a sad smile on his face as he began to walk off to the battle at the gates._

_"Kankuro..."_

_The face painted Jonin smirked at his younger brother, "Gaara...I'm proud of you. You've really become a great Kazekage. However, sometimes a big brother has to help out his little brother when things get bad," Kankuro's smirk dissapeared, "Tell Temari that she was the best sister a guy could ever have, okay?"_

_Gaara nodded silently, and felt a very weird feeling in the corner of his eyes. He put a hand to his cheek and felt moisture._

_"Hey, don't go crying now. I want to see you smile, okay? You don't do that too often, but it suits you." the older brother continued._

_Gaara, now realizing that he could do nothing to stop his brother, nodded, then gave him a small smile, "Kankuro, you truly are a great brother as well as an honorable shinobi...I thank you."_

_Kankuro nodded, then walked up to the young Kazekage, "Take care of the village for me, and be there for Temari. She may act tough, but she's still our sister...and she needs to know she still has you, okay?"_

_Gaara forced back the tears, "R-right..."_

_Kankuro swung an arm around Gaara's shoulders, "You're a good man, Gaara. Mother would be proud of you..."_

_Gaara suddenly gave up, "I don't know if I can do this without you to help me."_

_Kankuro tightened his grip around Gaara's shoulders, "Don't say that. You'll be able to take good care of Suna...as soon as I take care of this."_

_Gaara was going to argue, but Kankuro decided to let go and walk towards the gate again. The puppet master turned to Gaara one last time and grinned, "Bye, Gaara. Make sure that my body is buried by our mother, okay?"_

_Gaara nodded as he stood there like a statue, the only thing showing signs of life being the few tears that ran down his face. Kankuro leapt away as he went to protect the village in the most efficient way possible; by destroying the enemies._

Gaara had never seen such an amazingly bright light in his entire life, and he had fought Deidara too. The explosion managed to take out about ninety percent of the infected, and the other ten percent were retreating as the shinobi attacked them relentlessly. Not a single Sand nin had been killed by Kankuro's attack either. Truly an honorable way to go for a shinobi.

Gaara looked at the infected, who were little more than a few yards from his sand's reach. He may no longer contain the Shukaku, but he was still a force that deserved to be reckoned with.

"They may still be human...but they are a threat to those important to me..." Gaara said as he launched his sand. They would be his vent for all the raging emotions, age and gender made no difference. He let the tears fall as he smashed through them like stone into glass. He no longer carried a gourd with him, so he never reused his sand, and prevented any infectiong from the blood that was caught within the tiny particles. That was to say that infection through such means was possible. As far as Gaara knew, bites were the only way to carry the virus.

It didn't matter either way, he wanted to let out his anger, and what better way to do it than by protecting the village you lead?

-ooOoo-

Sasuke sat under an overhang in a nearby cave. The rain hadn't let up at all today, and from what he guessed, it was close to nightime. He couldn't afford to stay in here much longer, especially considering that he saw a village nearby. It seemed untouched, but that didn't guarantee it would be safe through the night. He had bought a few things of food and some supplies. He wasn't about to try and make shelter anywhere, knowing that as long as he was in a shinobi nation or near one that he was in danger. He had changed directions and decided to take the western border of Fire Country after he heard from travelers that almost all port cities were experiencing catastrophe of one kind or another. He would be running a risk going between Wind and Fire Country, but risk wasn't new to the Uchiha.

As of right now, he was in the boundries of Rain territory. He wasn't keen on staying too long. The stories he heard about Hidden Rain's leader weren't comforting in the least.

That's when he saw it. Movement? He sinked into the shadows, and watched with his activated Sharingan. He was careful to hide his chakra since if they were infected shinobi he would be running the risk of detection.

Suddenly, a blonde haired man dropped from the tree, and seemed to be injured. He had a black cloak on with red cloud like patterns on it...

"Akatsuki...that's Deidara..." Sasuke said ever so quietly. He wouldn't attack, prefering to remain low given the land's current crisis. Also, Deidara didn't seem to be in any condition to fight back. His right arm was bleeding, and he seemed to be hagard. A distant scream made the blonde-haired nuke-nin curse. He ran into the cave, and was met with a sword pointing at his throat.

"Get out." Sasuke said, showing no emotion as he spoke. He didn't need a liability giving him extra trouble.

Deidara stopped, looked at the person in front of him, then spoke the first word that came to mind when he saw the three tomoe in Sasuke's eyes, "Uchiha."

Sasuke gave the man a grunt, "I said get out. I don't need you bringing any unwanted guests here."

Deidara frowned, "Believe me, if things were different, I would kill you right now. However, seeing as you're standing here alone, Otogakure's destroyed."

Sasuke simply nodded, and gave the man a glare, "I'm not here to talk, no leave before I kill you. I have enough issues with your organization as it is."

Deidara snorted, "Well, then today's your lucky day."

Sasuke frowned, "What are you talking about?"

Deidara seemed to smile with an almost satisfied look in his eyes. He looked around the cave, as though expecting someone to be listening in on their conversation. He leaned in, and uttered words that Sasuke never expected to hear...

"The organization is dead, Sasuke Uchiha."

**end of Chapter 3- Dun dun duuuuuun! Mwahahaha! That's right! I destroyed them! All of them!!! Well, not really. Deidara's alive...and others are too...maybe. Ahem, yeah, I like making plot twists like that, then leaving you all hanging like that. I know, evil isn't it? Heheh, well, I hpe you enjoyed this chapter. The next one's going to be good, I guarantee it. Again, tell me what you think, and if you have any ideas or questions, I'll be happy to reply. Just keep these things in mind 1.) The infected are alive, not dead. 2.) Sakura is infected, but she is not as influenced as the others by here affliction. 3.) The infection spreads through bites, not scratches. 4.) The infected are as sentient as they were when they were normal. Ino was an example in that. 5.)This isn't going to be turned into a SakuraxSasuke. It will be a friendship, at best, if they ever meet. **

**Anyways, with that being said, I hope you keep reading this. Feedback is always a bonus, but I know not everyone who enjoys it reviews the story. I'll update soon! **


	4. Pursuit and Retreat

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...but in my dreams, I dream of being the greatest Hokage that ever lived...not really, but it would be cool if I did.**

**Outbreak**

**Chapter Four: Pursuit and Retreat**

Naruto felt the cool wind blew as the group of sixteen shinobi stood outside in the woods surrounding a small village. It appeared to be safe, but one could never be quite sure.

"I don't like it; it just seems to quiet here." Anko spoke, kunai in hand. Her eyes were constantly watching their surroundings as they slowly began to walk into the village.

"It's not like we have much of a choice though. We're officially out of provisions, and our medical supplies are almost gone. This place is in the mountains, and quite isolated, so perhaps the infected didn't reach them yet." Kakashi spoke as they walked onto the main road of the village. It was a small community, bordering the land of Wind and Land of Fire, inside the mountain range area. Hopefully the place was still isolated enough that it hadn't been hit by the attacks.

Sakura had her eyes closed as she seemed to be in a deep mode of thought. Everyone stopped to look at her, and waited until her eyes opened.

"Well?" Kakashi asked her, and the others gave her looks that silently voiced Kakashi's own question.

"I don't sense any of the infected here. We're safe for now." she spoke as a smile crept onto her face. The others let out a breath as they let themselves relax a little.

It had been a whole two weeks since the group started their travel to Wind country. It would have taken less time, if not for the fact that they had to be careful to avoid any encounters with the infected. They were hungry, sore, and above all, exhausted. The short four hours they took every eighteen hours didn't help either. They couldn't afford to stop though, not after having survived this long.

So they decided that they should look into getting a room at an inn or something, and buy some provisions with the money they had...that is, if there was anyone to buy from in this quiet mountain village.

"Hana, Hanabi, Iruka, Anko, and Kiba, go and see if you can find a market to buy food in. Naruto, Sakura, Lee, Tenten, and Moegi, you try and see if it's possible to find an inn or a place to stay for a night. Asuma, Jiraiya, Shikamaru, Hinata, and myself will see if we can find the people in charge of this village. Be on your guard at all times, understood?" Kakashi said, having been the person in charge of this whole trip by seemingly unanimous choice.

The group nodded, and proceeded to complete their tasks.

A short while passed before Kakashi's group felt a presence while walking through the village.

"We're being followed," Hinata stated quietly, her Byakugan active, "They don't appear to be shinobi though."

Kakashi nodded, "You can come out, we're not here to cause any harm."

Moments later, two men no older than their mid twenties stepped out from an alleyway, crossbows at ready. They frowned at the unexpected guests, but upon seeing the insignia for the Leaf village, they lessened the grip on their weapons a little.

"You're all from Konoha?" the taller one asked.

"Yes, we're refugee ninja. Konoha is as of now, in ruin. We're not sure if others have survived, but currently there are sixteen of us." Asuma answered, pulling out his cigarette to exhale a plume of smoke.

"Konoha's destroyed too?" asked the other man in disbelief.

Kakashi nodded, "The infection spread rapidly through the village, and within a month's time, the place had become overrun with the infected."

The men dropped their weapons to their sides, clearly awestruck by this fact of information, "How though? Konohagakure is supposed to be the most powerful shinobi village."

"It's also one of the most populated of the villages among the five great shinobi nations. That makes spreading the infection easier." Shikamaru spoke, a frown on his face.

"Ah...I guess that would make sense...why have you come here?" the taller man asked.

"We're not intending to stay long. We've merely come for food, supplies, and other provisions." Kakashi replied, placing his hands in his pockets, now feeling a bit at ease. Clearly these people heard of the current crisis going on around the continent.

"We can give you some supplies and food, but I'm afraid that we don't have much. We've been trying to keep our village's presence hidden from unwanted eyes, so our farming hasn't been as productive as usual. We're also not really stocked up on medical supplies..." the taller man said with a defeated look, "We're lucky that we got word of the problem before it hit us. We've been ready for an attack for two months now, but apparantly being a mountain village has its advantages in remaining hidden."

"We've been on the move for about two weeks now, and I can assure you that things aren't nearly as well off as they are here. The infected shinobi are still able to use their jutsu...and we've passed by villages that are completely burnt to the ground...yet no bodies have been found." Jiraiya added with a somber look.

The two men shivered knowing full well what that meant, "Well, we'll get you what you need. In exchange, would you be able to watch over our village for the night that you stay here? One of our children has gone missing, and its been almost three days since they dissapeared...we're hoping they're just lost in the wilderness, but even that seems unlikely since our people know these woods better than anyone else."

The group of ninja gave each other a look, "That's fine...how old was the child?" Kakashi asked.

"The child was a ten year-old boy, and he is pretty familiar with these woods..." replied the shorter man.

"You do understand that we'll have to destroy him if he's..." Asuma started.

The two men slowly nodded, and nothing further was said.

-ooOoo-

Two weeks...

It had been two weeks since Sasuke had made allies with Deidara, and the two had been on the move since. The two weren't particularly fond of each other, but as the saying goes, there's strength in numbers.

"So, what exactly do you plan to do now that Orochimaru is dead?" Deidara asked as they sat in the branches of a ancient tree. The branches provided enough room for the two to both have room to set up there places for the night.

"I plan to kill Itachi...then restore my clan."

Deidara frowned, clearly not happy with the short--not to mention emotionless--response. Sure, Sasuke was reliable, and actually helped out the clay user, but other than that, he showed no signs of acknowleging the blonde man's existence.

"Heh, I hate to break it to you kid, but it will be much harder to find Itachi now. Oh, he's alive...I know that. Uninfected too, if I'm right. Kisame though...not so sure. Kakuzu split when things went to hell, and Hidan's probably dea- oh wait...he's immortal...well regardless, Akatsuki's gone, and the members are on their own now. I was hoping to leave that organization anyway. It seems you and I share a common enemy in your brother though."

Sasuke gave the man a hard glare, but then went back to his indifferent scowl, "Hn."

A distant screech teared through the night, and the two immediately sat up, "Damn it...well, they could be trying to draw us out." Deidara whispered. Sasuke merely nodded, pulling out his sword as the two remained silent.

Deidara had about two dozen little clay spiders crawling around the area as traps. They were set to explode on his command, that way, if they could make an escape without being noticed, the explosive artwork would be rendered useless and the infected would never know anyone was here.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, and scanned the area from where the scream was heard, "I think we should get moving. I don't see anything...but I'm sure we would run into trouble if we stayed here."

"Agreed." Deidara nodded. As much as he enjoyed blowing up things, he wasn't stupid. They could be overrun with those vampiric humanoids in minutes. Infected humans with shinobi training would make things only worse.

The two darted through the foilage like animals, only sparing second-long glance behind to see if they were being followed.

Unfortunately, today wasn't their lucky day...

"Two Grass-nin are following us." Deidara said, followed by a grunt of annoyance.

Sasuke gave him a look, then spoke, "Well, we can't have them knowing about us and tell the others."

Deidara felt like laughing, but settled for a smirk. With a simple lifting of two fingers, two little clay spiders jumped onto the enemies' heads, and quickly crawled into the nearest oriface of their target.

"Boom." Deidara said quietly.

A sickening sound of skulls rupturing open followed by brain and flesh hitting trees went off throughout the woods. Not a deafening explosion like what would have otherwise happened.

"Nice work, less attention for us to worry about." Sasuke said as the continued to move.

"Heh, I'd rather cause an explosion, but I'll settle for that I suppose." Deidara replied as the two continued westward. The night gave no indication of the two missing nin being there aside from two headless corpses lying on the ground. By morning their teammates would find them, but no one would know what caused such a thing to happen.

-ooOoo-

Naruto and Sakura sat in the room given to them for the night at the small tavern in the village. The team was spread out through the village, from the spare rooms of some houses, rooms in attics, and the few rooms in the tavern. Aside from the two of them, Hinata, Moegi, and Kiba were in the room next to them, while Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Asuma had the room across the hall. Anko, Iruka, Shikamaru, Shizune, Hana, Hanabi, Lee, and Tenten were patrolling the small village. Eventually a few would switch with Asuma, Kiba, and Jiraiya to take a rest.

The two lay in the bed, a bit cramped since the size was made for one person. Not that Naruto was complaining.

Sakura slowly pulled her head back as she licked the warm liquid off her lips. Naruto was actually getting used to the feeling of Sakura's fangs puncturing his skin, and also found the feeling of her breath on his neck almost pleasant.

"Done?" Naruto asked quietly, seeing as they didn't want to ruin the otherwise quiet atmosphere.

Sakura nodded, and lifted her head so Naruto could look into her almost slit-like eyes. He found Sakura's new emerald, animal-like pupils a little entrancing, and was sure it had something to do with Sakura and her condition, "Yeah...thanks again, Naruto. I still can't thank you enough for letting me do this." She gave him a light peck on the cheek, and then cuddled under his arm. Naruto was blushing like tomato, but luckily the room was dark.

Sakura, however, could feel the blood flow rising to his cheeks, "Naruto...you really are fun to tease, you know that?"

"I...um-" he was cut off by a finger being placed against his lips.

"Shh. I understand. I would have to have been an idiot to not know that you like me...well, back when we were young at least." Sakura whispered, and pulled her finger away to hold the blonde against her. She wouldn't deny the fact that she was feeling very comfortable in his arms right now, and didn't plan on moving anytime soon.

"I...still feel that way about you...Sakura-chan." Naruto said quietly, and felt the kunoichi's grip on him tighten a little. He looked down, and was amazed at the sight he saw when faced Sakura.

Two, shimmering eyes, and a beautiful smile that glowed in the pale moonlight, "You still do?" she asked, and even Naruto could tell that there was a hint of desperation in her voice. The kind that was demanding an answer to an unspoken question.

"Yeah. Always have...and I'm almost positive I always will." Naruto spoke, and was suprised when a pair of lips stopped him from speaking further. Just as quickly as it happened, Sakura pulled away, and her face was absolutely red.

"Naruto...thank you..." she said in a quiet voice, not letting his eyes leave hers for a second.

Naruto felt a knot form in his stomach. This was starting to turn more and more into a scene from one of Jiraiya's books. He beat down such thoughts, and grinned, "No need to thank me. I'm just telling you the truth."

The pink-haired kunoichi didn't stop smiling as she nipped his ear, earning a quiet yelp from Naruto. She gave him a grin, "Then I guess we should stop pretending to not act the way we feel for each other, eh?" She cupped a hand around his cheek, and Naruto was positively trembling. Sakura Haruno, his long-time crush, was laying next to him, and giving him all the signals that Jiraiya had told him about.

"Um...S-Sakura-chan...as much as I feel that way too...I-I think we're still a bit t-too young to-"

Sakura gave the boy a light smack on the head, "I don't mean that, idiot. I meant, we should start being a bit more open to each other, and not pretend that we're less than that around the others. It doesn't mean we have to be all over each other in public, but I think that there's ways of letting the others know." She then looked away, and quietly added, "That's not to say we may eventually do _that_..."

Naruto seemed to catch on, and nodded, "Oh, I get it. In other words, we should act like a boyfriend and girlfriend."

Sakura let out a chuckle at the way Naruto could be so blunt about such things, "Yes, exactly. Boyfriend and girlfriend."

Naruto suddenly frowned, "What about...Sasuke?"

Sakura stiffened, but managed to smile, if not sadly, "Sasuke-kun's...not with us Naruto. He left, for power...while you tried to bring him back. I know that you didn't do it _just_ for me, but I could tell that you wanted to make me happy, even if it meant destroying the chance of dating me..._that_ speaks volumes on its own on how much you care. I'm pretty sure I can at least try and give you a chance." she winked at the last part.

Naruto seemed to relax as he heard this, and grinned, "Then it's official, Sakura-chan. We're boyfriend and girlfriend."

Sakura said noting, but gave him another kiss on the cheek. The two eventually slipped into a state of sleep they hadn't felt for more than a whole two weeks. Yes, things were looking dreary for them in general, but at least they could rely on each other for comforting each other's pain and suffering when needed.

-ooOoo-

Shikamaru sat on the roof of a building, a few feet away from a rather quiet Hanabi Hyuuga. The younger of the Hyuuga sisters hadn't said much since they arrived to the village, and anything that she did say was towards Hinata, or Moegi. While Shikamaru wasn't one to usually strike up a conversation--especially with women--he felt the need to talk. The past few weeks had been horrible to him, and he felt he was going to snap if he didn't say _something_.

"Stars sure are bright tonight." Shikamaru said, and mentally slapped his forehead. Oh, that was brilliant. Score one for Captain Obvious.

To his surprise, the famous cold-hearted girl spoke, "I agree...it's nice to watch them sometimes..."

Shikamaru decided to ease into another subject, "So...how long do you think it will be before we finally reach Suna? I'd say another two weeks at the rate we're moving."

Hanabi sighed, "I wouldn't know...I've never been there before. I hear that's it's nice place, despite it being in the middle of a desert."

Shikamaru nodded, "Well, I have yet to see it myself, but I know a few people there. Hopefully they're okay."

Hanabi scooted closer, "S-Shikamaru-sempai?"

The shadow-user raised an eyebrow. Sempai? She never called him that before, so obviously something was bothering her, "Yeah?"

"Um...if it's not too personal..."

"Hanabi, almost nothing could bother me right now. Ask me anything, and I'll give you an answer, no matter how troublesome it may be." Shikamaru asked, a small smirk on his face. He needed this just about as much as her.

"Okay then...um...are you the only survivor of your clan?" Hanabi asked, looking away.

Shikamaru looked back to the sky, "Yeah."

Hanabi winced at the rather quick response, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Shikamaru shrugged, "It's okay...well, no it isn't. I'm sad about it...but as a shinobi, you got expect stuff like death." Oh, that was nice. Real compelling, he thought.

Hanabi nodded, but seemed to be even more distraught, "It's hard to believe that my sister and I are the only living Hyuuga...well, as far as we know anyway."

Shikamaru again nodded, and sighed. He wasn't exactly happy to hear that Neji had been killed. In fact, he was feeling awful right now. First his best friend Chouji, then Ino, who though troublesome, was still a good friend. His mother and father died in the massive attack right before he left Konoha. Asuma was the closest thing he had to family right now. He held back his tears, and had yet to cry...

...and at that point, his mask cracked, and a few tears fell down his cheek. No sobbing...just a few tears.

Hanabi saw this, and felt her own cheeks moisten up. She had been on the move constantly in the last two weeks, and never took the time to really think about what had happened. Now it was finally hitting her.

"I...I want to be strong for nee-san...but it's hard to not feel..." Hanabi was unable to finish as the sobs racked her body.

Shikamaru sat up, and to Hanabi and his great surprise, hugged her. For a few seconds, he held the young genin in his arms, and let her sob into his shoulders. She said nothing, simply cried. He himself let out a few tears, but remained strong as he could.

Shikamaru pulled away, and had the decency to blush, "Er...sorry about that."

Hanabi gave a small smile, "It's okay. I feel a little better now." She gave him another hug, "Thanks, Shikamaru-sempai."

They smiled, and both knew that they were merely trying to seek comfort from each other. Nothing romantic, and certainly nothing sexual. Just two people, lost in this dark world, trying to find hope.

"Well, I suppose it's time we check with the others, and see if they found anything suspicious around the area." Shikamaru said as the two got up, and jumped off to meet the others in the center of the village.

-ooOoo-

A few silhouettes stood in the border of the village and the woods. They didn't move, aside from the blinking of slitted pupils.

"Looks like they've settled here for the night." spoke a larger figure, whose figure was bulky and rotund at the same time.

"Sakura's with them..." spoke another one, a more feminine figure. She brushed away a few stray bangs from her face, and turned to the larger figure.

Among the group stood the forms of Ino Yamanaka, Chouji Akimichi, Ibiki Morino, Ebisu, Yuugao Uzuki, Yamato, and others. However, one figure stepped before the others.

"What are your orders?" asked Ino, turning to the figure.

"We remain low, and follow them."

"What about when we need to feed?" asked Ibiki, remaining motionless.

"Take what you need from here, but don't make a scene, and be sure to hide any evidence. They don't know we're here. Understood?" the figure asked sternly.

The others all bowed quietly, jumped off, except for Yamato, "You needed something from me?"

"Yes, just thought I'd warn you to be ready for Naruto. You know that he has the Kyuubi, and you're the ony one among us with the ability to calm him down if things get out of control with him." replied the figure.

Yamato bowed, "Very well, Hokage-sama." With that, he jumped into the shadows, waiting for the time to begin their plans.

Tsunade stood alone, a sad smile on her face. She had survived the fire and roof collapse, but she didn't get past the infection. She planned on bringing back her ninja...alive. Despite her new needs, she refused to let go of her friends and family; namely Shizune, Sakura, and Naruto. She was aware that it wouldn't be easy, if not impossible to convince them. That's why she brought her best shinobi with her. If she planned on bringing them all back safely and alive, then she needed it done right.

"Well, Shizune...Naruto...Sakura...I hope that this reunion won't be one I regret. Jiraiya, if I'm doing the wrong thing here, you better be ready to stop me then, because I won't give up on this." spoke the Godaime, and then dissapeared in a whirl of leaves.

Meanwhile, in the room where Naruto and Sakura slept, Sakura's eyes snapped open. She felt it...

"There here..." she whispered.

**end of Chapter 4- Hey, been a while, hasn't it? Well, here's chapter 4 in all it's semi-supernatural/horror/romance glory. I'll be continuing with the whole Sasuke and Deidara/Konoha survivors/Suna story breaks. I like switching points of view throughout chapters, and I feel that it keeps things interesting. I hope you liked this chapter, I sure enjoyed writing it! Not much else to say other than thanks for those who are leaving me reviews and feeback, I appreciate it! I'll continue to work on this and my other stories, so keep your eyes peeled! Until we meet again, happy reading...sorry, that was a bit corny, eh?**


	5. Reluctant Reunion

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Naruto. I'll let you know when things change, okay?**

**Outbreak**

**Chapter Five: Reluctant Reunion**

Kakashi felt an arm shaking him, and he opened an eye to see a frantic looking Moegi staring into the Jonin's one visible eye.

"Moegi...? What's the matter?" Kakashi mumbled, and that got Asuma and Jiraiya to awaken as well. The three looked at the young Genin and waited for her to speak.

"Anko-sensei sent a snake to us..." she whispered. The three men were now wide awake, and getting there gear ready.

"What color was the snake? Blue or gray?" asked the silver haired man.

Moegi's eyes spoke before she even spoke further, "Gray..."

Kakashi uttered a curse under his breath, "Is everyone else awake?"

The redhead nodded, and stood there, looking very tense and slightly panicked. Kakashi got his vest and gear on, and looked to the girl, "Warn the innkeeper downstairs to get everyone out of the tavern as quickly as possible. I don't want any innocents dying, despite them not being people of the Fire Country."

Moegi nodded, and sprinted to the stairs while the three men quickly cleaned up. The snake was Anko's warning signal to the ninja. Blue meant they were on alert, and that the team would need to do a full scale patrol. This was usually in relating to one or two infected, shinobi or non-shinobi. Gray, however, meant only one thing...

...a large group of infected had been spotted, and a fight may be taking place. The group was to proceed with having the villagers evacuated--as best as they could--and the team would then try to either hold off the infected for a few minutes, or proceed with a retreat.

Asuma quickly lit a cigarette, and frowned, "You know they're most likely from Konoha."

Kakashi nodded, and turned to them, "They may very well be of ANBU level. We can't afford to fight if it can be helped. They have the advantage right now. This village is unscathed by the hunters, so they have a possible horde of new recruits to choose from."

Jiraiya groaned, "Damn it, and I was hoping we could get a decent night's sleep for once."

Kakashi merely shrugged, and the three dissapeared to meet in the designated meeting area of the group.

-ooOoo-

The group of sixteen ninja and a few ninja hounds sat quietly in the attic of a building as they looked at Jiraiya, Asuma, and Kakashi. The villagers had left the village quickly, and as agreed, were on their own. It was harsh, but the group of Konoha nin was more concerned about their own survival. They were, in essence, possibly the only remaining group of Konoha nin left.

"So, did you identify any of the infected?" Jiraiya asked, looking at Anko, Shikamaru, Hanabi, Hana, Iruka, Lee, Tenten, and Shizune.

"Ino Yamanaka, Chouji Akimichi, Yuugao Uzuki, and Ibiki Morino were among the ones we identified." spoke Shizune.

Anko however, didn't seem very willing to speak. Asuma raised an eyebrow, "Well, how about you, Anko? You sent us a snake..."

Anko shook her head, "Yeah...it's just...I'm still unable to fully believe who I saw among them. We managed to identify Izumo Kamizuki, Kotetsu Hagane, and a few others...but there was one person that I'm worried we may have trouble with."

"Who would that be?" Jiraiya asked, folding his arms together.

Anko gave a strained look to the group, "Tsunade..._our_ Tsunade...the Fifth Hokage."

There was complete silence, even Akamaru and Hana's hounds were quiet. The words spoken seemed kill the group's voice voices for about two minutes.

Naruto decided to speak, "Wait, Baa-chan is here? I thought she was-"

"Well, apparantly she's alive, and now a threat to us..." Kakashi winced at his own words, "We'll have to make a break for it, we can't survive this otherwise. We're outnumbered at least two to one right now, and they surely have a few ANBU among them."

Shizune spoke, "I do believe that Yamato-san was also among them."

Kakashi swore for the second time that night, "Well, now we know how serious Tsunade is about this. She obviously either plans to kill us all, or make us one of them..." he sighed as he looked among the group, "Allright, here's the plan. Anko, Moegi, Iruka, and Kiba will be in one group. Jiraiya, Naruto, Sakura, and Hanabi, you'll be in another. Shikamaru, Lee, Tenten, and Asuma will make our third group. Shizune, Hinata, Hana, and myself will make up the fourth group. We'll spread out, and proceed northward, and I'll have one of my dogs look for you so that you can find us so we can meet somewhere safe. From what we gathered, they are trying to stop us from going further west. If we can make a break for it, I'd rather risk going towards the Rain Village's area than risk being bitten. Any objections?"

No one spoke, and Kakashi nodded. He rubbed his temples for a second, then with a simple nod, the group dissapeared, leaving the attic empty as it was before they arrived.

-ooOoo-

Tsunade ran through the trees with Yamato following close behind. She had her shinobi scout out the village, only to find it empty. Sure, they had caught a few villagers, but there wasn't a single shinobi from Konoha within the village.

Suddenly she stopped, and Yamato did as well. She scanned the area, and suddenly looked towards the north, "They're that way."

"Shall I inform the others?" Yamato asked.

Tsunade nodded, "Tell them to not kill the others unless they have no other choice. I'd prefer if we can take a few to our side before we get to fighting..." she paused, then turned to face the ANBU captain, "On second thought, don't kill any of them, regardless. We have a better chance of not losing number than they do. I don't want to come of as hostile to them, because we aren't. We're simply to bring back our ninja."

Yamato nodded, and dissapeared. The blonde woman jumped onwards, and suddenly felt a familiar chakra.

"Naruto..."

-ooOoo-

Shikamaru chanced a look behind as his group jumped through the trees. He noticed a few shadows following behind, and bit back a profanity, "Lee, Tenten, Asuma, we've got company."

Asuma turned around, and pulled out his trench knives as he continued moving through the forest, "I'll hold them off."

Shikamaru growled, not happy by the idea at all, "No way! We'll take them on together! I won't let you get taken by them too!"

Asuma sighed; Shikamaru wasn't thinking clearly. He grinned, "Shikamaru, you do realize that's less likely to work."

Shikamaru was about to say something when a blur of orange caught his peripheral vision to the right of him. He turned, and gave a confused look to a certain blonde, "Naruto? What are you-?"

Naruto winked, "I'm only a diversion."

Much to everyone's surprise, it was Tenten who spoke up, "Wait, you're only a Sha-?"

"Shh! Go on, I'll hold them off. No doubt that Baa-chan wants me back, so they'll do everything in their power to capture me."

The four said nothing, but all nodded as Naruto slowed down. They all realized that he had just saved their hides.

-ooOoo-

Yuugao noticed one of the five people she was pursuing slowing down by quite a bit, then she saw him trip over a tree branch. She grinned as she suddenly recognized the person to be the one known as Naruto Uzumaki. Tsunade had specifically said that she wanted him alive.

Yuugao, Izumo, and Kotetsu all stopped as they landed next to the blonde. He gave them a panicked look, and tried to pull out a kunai, only to be pinned by the purple haired woman.

"Get off me!!!" he screamed, but stopped as he looked into the woman's eyes.

She smiled at him, "It's okay. We're not going to kill you. We're just making you part of the family." she spoke as her canines extended. Naruto's eyes widened, and he struggled to get free. However, he felt a sudden calming feeling as he stared into her eyes. Genjutsu. He felt a warm sensation spread throughout him, and she leaned down to his neck.

"This will only hurt a little," she spoke.

"W-wait..." he whispered, his struggling had stopped, "Before you...bite me...I just want to tell you all something..."

"What's that?" she asked, suddenly noticing how handsome he was. If possible, she would make him hers. Forget that Sakura girl; she had abandoned them all.

The grin on his face didn't make the three feel any better, and Naruto closed his eyes as he uttered three deadly words, "Shadow Clone Explosion..."

A bright light was the last thing Izumo, Yuugao, and Kotetsu ever saw before they were caught in a giant blast of heat.

-ooOoo-

Asuma's group caught up with Anko, Moegi, Iruka, and Kiba around the time of the explosion. The forest shook as the group of eight shinobi looked back to see a plume of flames shine through the forest canopy.

"What the hell was that?!" Kiba yelled, followed by a bark of Akamaru.

"That was Naruto's Shadow Clone Explosion Jutsu." Shikamaru said with a grin. He realized right off the bat when Naruto said he was merely a diversion what his plan was. He heard that the blonde was capable of such a technique. He never thought the blonde would be smart enough to pull it off though.

Minutes passed, and soon they met up with Kakashi and Jiraiya's groups, and the sixteen ninja were amazingly unharmed. They also were amazed that they had remained undetected and weren't being chased by their vampire-like hunters.

"Are we in the clear?" Asuma asked, turning to Jiraiya and Kakashi.

"What do your hounds say, Hana?" Kakashi asked.

The Inuzuka girl turned to two of her hounds and the dogs sniffed the air. A moment later, they gave a curt bark, and she grinned, "We're okay. They don't smell anyone ahead of us."

Kakashi and Naruto turned to each other, and the two nodded. They each raised their right middle and index fingers, and a short pulse of chakra could be felt by them. Seconds later, five distinct explosions went off behind them, and for a few seconds, the night sky lit up.

Kakashi got a smirk from Jiraiya, "How come no one told us about Naruto and your little plan?"

Kakashi smiled behind his mask, "Well, that would make this little retreat feel less of a danger to us if everyone knew, right?" Kakashi suddenly stopped, and the others did as well, and stared up ahead.

"I thought you said that your dogs didn't smell anything..." Anko muttered, turning to Hana.

Hana didn't move, staring ahead, "Well, it's possible that they masked their scents..."

About fifty yards ahead of them stood Yamato, Ino, Chouji, and Tsunade. The Hokage had the decency to smile apologetically to them, "Sorry, we've got you."

Ten more ANBU dropped down from the trees around them, and the surviving Konoha soon found themselves surrounded. Things suddenly weren't looking good.

-ooOoo-

Deidara and Sasuke had been left the borders of Rain country a little less than a day ago, and had only stopped for two hours for a quick meal.

Deidara had been leading the way, while Sasuke had followed the man that surprisingly was quite friendly for an S-rank criminal. Sasuke decided that this man was actually trustworthy since he had never given off any false intentions to the Uchiha. Not to mention that on several occasions he had actually saved the former Oto-nin.

The two were now on alert though, having heard six seperate explosions south of them. The explosions had come from two seperate chakra signatures...and they both felt familiar.

"Deidara-san, do you see anything?" the Uchiha asked, Sharingan actively scanning the forest around them.

Deidara held back a laugh at hearing the suffix added to his name, "No...but I think we're getting close to whatever set off those explosions..." Sasuke suddenly noticed the blonde man had quieted down, as though he was looking at something ahead. He saw the man click on the small lens on his left eye, meaning he was looking further ahead, "Hold on...stop!"

The two abruptly stopped, and Sasuke barely sensed about thirty seperate chakra signatures...a few felt familiar. He turned to the older man, "They may be from Konoha..."

Deidara said nothing for a few seconds, then pointed ahead, "There, eleven o' clock. I see them."

Sasuke looked ahead with his Sharingan, and nodded. He couldn't tell if they were infected from this far away, but Deidara was already magnifying his lens, "Well, well, I don't believe it. Sasuke, I see your old teammates up ahead...and some others from Konoha. What' really interesting though is that some of them are infected. Take a look." He took off his lens and let Sasuke quickly take a look.

Sasuke felt his body tense as he saw a good portion of the Rookie Nine from his year, and a few others he recognized. What really bothered him was that there was about fourteen infected shinobi surrounding Naruto and the others.

Sasuke handed the lens back to Deidara, and let his Sharingan swirl, "I think we should help them."

Deidara gave the boy a weird look, "Um...Sasuke, you do realize that I have a history with your three teammates, right?"

Sasuke nodded as he pulled a few shuriken from his cloak, "Yes, and regardless if you help me or not, I'm going to help them. They may very well be willing to help us."

"We're both missing-nin though, they'll kill us most likely, un." Deidara said with a frown.

Sasuke looked to the blonde, "Deidara-san, let's face it. The shinobi world is falling apart because of this infection. We're in danger either way, but I'd rather risk death from survivors than being bitten by a hunter."

Deidara sighed as he pulled some clay from his pockets and let his hands chew up the clay, "Fine, but don't plan on this working, un."

Sasuke smirked, "We've got nothing better to do, and I find a strange feeling to be around familiar faces all of the sudden."

Deidara held back a laugh, knowing the Uchiha boy was partly joking and partly serious. Deidara had nothing to lose, why not go for it? Besides, maybe this would put him on good terms with the remaining Konoha...that is, if this worked out...

-ooOoo-

The group of sixteen remaining survivors didn't like how things were looking. Weapons were drawn, tension was high, and the adrenaline was running. Still, this didn't seem to be good for them.

Tsunade looked to the group, "Drop your weapons. It will only make things more difficult for you if you resist."

Shizune took a step forward, "Tsunade-sama, how could you do this?! You've betrayed all of us by joining them!! You're better than this!!"

Shizune recieved a frown from the blonde woman, "Shizune, I don't want to have to do this the ugly way...please surrender."

Shizune was about to speak when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked to see a grim-faced Jiraiya, "Don't waste your breath, Shizune. She's not the same anymore."

Kakashi looked at his former leader, "Why should we give ourselves up to you? We'd prefer our freedom, thank you very much."

"Drop your weapons, that's an order, Kakashi." Tsunade said, her voice becoming a bit fierce.

"I don't take orders from a murderer," the silver haired Jonin replied, and went through a few handseals as his hands began sparking with electricity, "Prepare yourself, _Hokage-sama_."

"Kakashi, don't be an idiot! Even if she's infected, she's still a major threat to you!" Iruka shouted as he pulled out a few more kunai to ready for an attack.

Suddenly, a few streaks of fire flew past the group, and hit two ANBU. The fireballs were apparantly shuriken covered in fire. Shortly after that, a few small white birds flew through the air, and about six more ANBU were blown back by explosions.

"Birds...explosions? Shuriken covered in fire? No, it couldn't..." Naruto said, but before he could speak, another much larger explosion went off, blowing back the remaining attackers. Seconds later two figures jumped down to the group.

"This way, hurry!" spoke a familiar blonde haired man.

The group hesitated only for a second as the figures of Sasuke Uchiha and Deidara of Akatsuki lead them through a clearing.

Seconds later, the group of now eighteen was sprinting through the trees at full speed. Deidara lifted two fingers, and one final explosion went off. The group looked behind as they continued running through the forest to see a giant cloud of fire.

"Sorry for the noise, but we figured that was the best way to help you escape." Deidara said as he continued ahead of the group.

The group of sixteen didn't know what to think. Two missing-nin had just saved their lives, and they didn't know whether to start questioning them, or thank them.

Jiraiya decided to risk the questioning, "What are you two, of all people, doing here?"

Deidara looked to Sasuke, who nodded, "Well, Otogakure's in ruins, and Orochimaru's dead," a gasp from a few, mainly Anko, got Deidara to smirk, "and Akatsuki has been destroyed."

"What do you mean 'destroyed'?" Jiraiya asked, suspicion clearly written on his face.

Deidara shrugged, "There was no purpose for it to continue its work."

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi asked.

Deidara groaned, "I mean that the statue containing the Bijuu was destroyed, and that we no longer have a way to contian or extract Bijuu."

"What??!!" came the response from the entire group of Konoha shinobi.

Sasuke gave a small nod ahead, "Deidara and I believe there's a small mountain region ahead. We can explain when we find a place to camp there."

"_We_?" repeated Shikamaru, clearly not happy with the idea of camping with not one, but _two _traitors.

Sasuke looked towards the shadow-user, "Yes. At least, that would be the smart idea. Deidara and I survived this long because we stayed together. If we work together, then we can hopefully find a place to hide out and live through this mess..." he paused, then looked ahead again, "and we have some information that could help us figure a way to maybe counter the infected."

The others said nothing. At this point, they couldn't be picky about who to trust. Besides, there was one glaring fact that stood above the others with Deidara and Sasuke.

...they weren't infected.

**end of Chapter 5- Well, here's a turning point for you. Yep, Sasuke and Deidara helped out the Konoha nin. Why? Well, that's for me to know, and you to find out, heheh. So, what do you think so far? Let me know. I always appreciate reviews, and I always like to hear people's guesses on what will happen next. Well, until we meet again, later!**


	6. Plans for Survival

**Disclaimer: Do you really think that Mr. Kishimoto would have made this part of his series? Nah, that's why I don't own Naruto...it would be a very weird show if I was in charge.**

**Outbreak**

**Chapter Six: Plans for Survival**

A small flicker of light could be seen deep within the darkness of a cave. It was surprisingly warm and dry inside, and if it weren't for the fact that the residing people within it hadn't almost been killed a little more than four hours ago, then maybe they would have found the area more comfortable.

The surviving Konoha nin all had mixed feelings at the moment. Kakashi was, little to everyone's surprise, reading by the light of the small lamp. Well, it would appear that way, but in truth, he had a very troubled look on his semi-visible face. He was starting to doubt his skills, since he almost got the entire team killed. Not to mention that his own village leader was now an enemy. He clenched his book ever so slightly, and he grimaced under his mask. He wouldn't let that happen again...not if he could help it.

Shizune wasn't far from the masked Jonin, actually, she was leaning against him. He made no objections, but wondered how they ever managed to get in this position. Shizune looked like she had found out that her best friend had died, and in a sense, this was true. Shizune lost her family once already, and now Tsunade was gone too. She mentally stamped down the feelings of hurt and betrayal, knowing that in a sense, it was expected. Tsunade had been infected, and this behavior was typical of an infected shinobi. She was at least thankful that she had Naruto and Sakura. They were her priority now, she declared in her mind, and she wouldn't fail them.

Jiraiya was quiet. His face was set into a frown, and he for once hadn't been berated for being perverted by any females. He watched the light rain pouring from outside the cave, and couldn't help but wonder how he got himself into the hell. He had no reason to stick with them, and could leave if he felt like it. Then again, so could the others. However, there was the fact that Naruto was the closest person he had to a family now, seeing as Tsunade had decided to go and join _them_. His eyebrows furrowed, and he felt a slight surge of anger. Tsunade...after all that time of thinking he would never see her again, there she was, telling them to surrender so that she could force them to join the infected. He would rather have an hour long discussion with Orochimaru on different methods of torture than do such a thing. He let out a sigh, and looked to the sleeping forms of Naruto and Sakura. He felt his anger dissipate at the sight. Sakura may have been 'infected' but she wasn't a weak minded hunter...and for that he was thankful. He closed his eyes. A few hours of sleep would probably do some good.

Naruto and Sakura were exhausted when they arrived to the shelter Deidara and Sasuke lead them to. They didn't even say anything to their long lost teammate; they were too drained emotionally to do so. Sakura had told Naruto that she wanted to rest, and the blonde couldn't agree more. They had both lost someone important today. One lost a motherly figure, another had lost their mentor and friend. It hurt Sakura to think of it, and she let a few tears fall. Naruto had held her close, and promised that no matter what, he wouldn't leave her side. She felt a little better at hearing this, but still the look that was on Tsunade's face when she said for them to drop their weapons played in her head. She eventually fell asleep, and only after he could feel her steady breathing of slumber did Naruto let his eyes droop. So much happened today, and he knew for a fact that there was more he could worry about like Sasuke and Deidara. However, he was too exhausted right now. Sleep was his main objective right now.

Shikamaru and Asuma sat by the overhang of the cave. Both had alot on their minds, and very few of these thoughts were comforting. Shikamaru had seen his two teammates when the group had been surrounded by their vampiric-like pursuers. The team he had once belonged to was no more, he concluded. All he had left was his troublesome former-sensei, and a few of his close friends. He may not be the most motivated individual, but if taking this watch duty would help keep them safe, he would do. He began to think of his family, and let a single tear slip down his cheek. The young Jonin wished it wasn't raining, he hated rain clouds.

Asuma lit a cigarette as he stared out into the dark. He wasn't entirely sure what to think. He thought about a few things...most were causing him to feel sick. He couldn't help but notice the predatory grin on Ino's face when he ran into her awhile back when the group was making it's retreat. He also saw Chouji standing next to her, and he seemed to have a smug look on his face as well. Were those truly once his old students? He shook his head, realizing that they were, but they weren't the same anymore. He blew out a plume of smoke, and sighed as another thought crossed his mind, and he tried to fight the feeling of worry, and failed. There was someone else he was extremely worried about, someone he hoped was alive and unharmed more than anyone else at the moment...Kurenai.

Moegi was a wreck, and if not for her friend Hanabi, she would probably be worse. The redheaded girl had nothing left now, aside from some friends that she hardly knew. Konohamaru was dead, and so was Udon. She got a glimpse of Ebisu-sensei among the infected, and that made her feel worse. Her heart was broken the moment she saw Konohamaru's throat get ripped open, and she began to wonder why she had hesitated for so long on telling the Sarutobi about her feelings. At least she would have known how he felt, but now it was too late. Her eyes were puffy from crying, but the comforting presence of her Hyuuga friend helped a little. She would get over this, she told herself, she would get over this.

Kiba sat curled up next to his canine companion, and was thankful that Akamaru had such thick fur. It helped absorb the tears as he silently cried. He had held it all in, and even in front of his sister he put up the usual facade of an arrogant and cocky jerk. The thoughts of his dead mother and clan, however, hit him full force when he tried to eat some food. He gave it to Akamaru, who also turned it down, and in the end he just wrapped up the dried meat for later. He was an Inuzuka, and Inuzuka don't cry like little kids. He told himself this as Akamaru let him continue to cry into his fur. If this would help his master, then Akamaru wouldn't mind. The dog couldn't cry himself, but he knew the feeling Kiba felt, and it hurt as well.

Hana looked over to her brother, and fought the urge to go and hold him like she used to when he was younger. She was tough, just like her mother was. She was smart too. However, Hana Inuzuka was also human, and the fact that she wanted to grieve right now was ripping her apart. She insted settled for taking another forced bite out of a ration bar, and chewed it without really thinking about it. Tomorrow she would talk to Kiba, and let him know that she was there for him. Right now though, she couldn't. She looked to her dogs, and sighed as they seemed to be giving Akamaru similar looks that she was giving Kiba. Those two were young, and they had finally settled for letting it out. Why couldn't they do the same, she wondered.

Hinata was only a little ways from her sister right now, and couldn't help but smile as she watched her once distant sister silently comfort her friend Moegi. Hanabi could be nice when she wanted, Hinata thought. The elder Hyuuga turned towards the back of the cave, and suddenly felt her smile break. Kiba had been laying by Akamaru ever since they arrived, and she knew that he had been crying for awhile now. She had got up once to go comfort him, but Hana had silently shook her head. Hinata seemed to understand the silent message she gave; _'Not now, he needs to come to terms with this. Comfort him later.'_ Hinata was a kind person almost by default, so resisting the urge to help someone in need was hard to do. She turned to see Naruto and Sakura sleeping soundly together on one corner of the cave, and upon seeing that, she promised to be there for Kiba from that point on.

Hanabi didn't know what to think right now. She wasn't like her sister; she couldn't comfort people or provide them with hopeful words like she did. Hanabi was strong, but in a way, she was also weaker than her older sister. Hinata found the courage to protect Hanabi the minute they were out of Konoha, and Hanabi had begun regretting all the times she looked down on Hinata. The young Hyuuga unconciously hugged Moegi as she felt another sob shake the redhead's body. Hanabi would become stronger so she could protect this group. She would help others become strong too. However, she wasn't sure that she would be able to provide comfort for them like her sister did anytime soon. Aside from crying in her sisters arms, and when she spoke to Shikamaru-sempai, she had rarely let her emotions show. It was instinct almost. Ninja don't let their emotions show...but why did she feel that was so wrong to say at the moment.

Iruka sat by the lamp, staring blankly at the lamp's light. He was lost in thought, and no one really wanted to disturb the Chunin right now. Iruka was thankful to be alive, and that so many of his friends were okay as well. However, another part of him silently wished that he wasn't alive right now, that way this horrible feeling of hopelessness would be gone. Whenever these thoughts came to mind though, he thought about Naruto, Sakura, and all his other former students, and what they were going through. Iruka, like Naruto, had no real family, but had made a large adoptive family instead. He wouldn't be a coward and leave them. No, he knew that they needed him as much as he needed them. There was Anko too, which really puzzled him. She was silently sleeping next to his bag of gear, and she hadn't really left his side ever since Konoha. He wondered why, but he then realized that as strong as she was, Anko needed someone. He was one of the few that saw past her fake grins and laughter, and she knew it. He wouldn't leave her either, not when he was needed. This was his family now, and he would do everything in his power to protect them.

Anko had never been a person to cling to others, especially after Orochimaru abandoned her. However, seeing the woman who ruled your village say that you were to join her and become a blood thirsty predator was something that shook her. She had refused to let Iruka out of his sight. This lead to her almost following him outside when he went to relieve his bladder, and the shade of red she turned when he asked her what she was doing was enough for her head to resemble a cherry. She found his presence comforting, and even though they were in a cave with to missing nin, she could care less, as long as Iruka was here. She didn't know why though, since she was actually probably alot stronger than him. Maybe it was the fact that he knew her better than most, she decided. Those train of thoughts lead her to falling asleep on his bag of gear, which she used as a pillow. Iruka Umino was now her lifeline, and as she drifted to sleep, she thought about how she had changed so much in her view of him within a four hour time period.

Lee was holding a sleeping Tenten as he put a blanket over the two. He wasn't going to go to sleep for another hour or so, but he was deteremined to make his remaining teammate comfortable as possible. He didn't know how she managed to find a way to use Lee as a pillow without him noticing, but he didn't let that bother him. He smiled slightly, and reminded himself of how lucky he was to still have his adoptive family around. Naruto had Sakura, and he had decided not to pursue the pink haired girl anymore. However, as he looked at the sleeping form of Tenten, he wondered if she could possibly feel anything towards him like Sakura felt for Naruto. He doubted it, and felt guilty about such thoughts. He knew that she cared deeply for Neji, and if he tried to make any attempt towards her, he felt that he would be taking advantage of her situation. Lee was a gentleman, and that was against his beliefs to take advantage of a woman in distress.

Tenten on the other hand, was having similar thoughts about the taijutsu specialist. She felt safe in the arms of the green clad ninja. However, she wondered if she would be like this if Neji were with them. She had been dealing with this conflict in her mind for quite a while before she decided to not think about it right now. She would be there for Lee regardless of what happened, and she was sure he would do the same for her. She unconciously moved closer to the young man's vest as she drifted into a peaceful sleep. For now, the world was safe, and she could sleep without fear.

Deidara was unsure of what to do. He was among people that probably didn't trust him that much. Sure, he saved them, but they were still ninja, and he was until recently a member of Akatsuki. He didn't have any cause to kill anyone, and truthfully, he didn't _want_ to. He would openly state to anyone that asked why he joined Akatsuki that he was _forced_ into the organization. He hated the gloomy attitude everyone had (well, Kisame would be funny from time to time, and Tobi was actually quite cheerful for a member of the group), and he found the whole hunting and gathering of Bijuu to be a real pain for him. Sasori would probably agree, if the puppet master was still alive. That brought him to look at the pink haired girl sleeping near the boy he now referred to as Naruto. He let a small grin grace his face at the sight of the two teens sleeping side by side. Heh, young love, un...

Sasuke was simply being...well, how he always was. He was quiet, and for the most part keeping to himself. He had spoken only enough to state that they should camp here tonight and that they would leave in the morning. He wasn't going to bother anyone now, and he needed to think of how to do that. He had betrayed these people, and three of them more so than anyone else. He frowned behind his folded hands as he stared at the cave wall across from him. He didn't know what to say to Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi. Was there anything _to say_? He wasn't sure. He saw that Tsunade was infected, and could only guess that the Konoha nin weren't taking it well. He'd wait until morning, he supposed.

-ooOoo-

Gaara stood in his house, sighing as he went over the reports he had recieved from the squads that had just returned from a scouting mission. The desert was crawling with the infected, apparantly, and trade had halted completely amongst Wind Country and its neighbors. This left the village to itself, and that wasn't comforting to the young Kazekage. He'd have to go about setting up more organized patrol and guard shifts, and make sure anyone who entered the village was _thoroughly _inspected. No sense in risking any further attacks.

"Gaara?" came the voice of his older sister. He looked up to see her with a troubled look on her face.

"What's wrong, Nee-san?" he asked as he sat back in his chair. He was glad to have his attention taken away from his work for a bit.

"Have you eaten anything in the past two days?" she asked with a knowing look.

Gaara shook his head, "No, I have not."

She sighed, "You're the Kazekage, Gaara. You can't lead a village if you aren't healthy because you've been skipping out on eating." she walked over to his desk and put her hands on the table, leaning in so that she stood over him.

"Temari, I have alot of work to-"

She gave him a frown, "I'll make you a sandwich, okay? You need to eat _something_, got it?"

Gaara had the decency to give a slightly embarassed look, "Yes, I'll do that Nee-san."

She gave him a sad smile, "You're doing a fine job, you know that right?"

He shrugged. She always told him that, but then again, she really couldn't compare him to anyone but their father, and he was the last thing that they saw as a worthy role model for the Sand village, "I'm just doing my job, Temari."

She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the forehead, "Well, keep at it..." her smile faltered a bit, "Kankuro was always proud of how you maintained the village...that's why he did that for you. He didn't want Suna to lose such a great leader." She mussed his hair a little, then walked towards the door, "Do you want anything in particular?"

"Peanut butter and raspberry on wheat is fine with me." he said. She nodded, and left the room. He stood up, and looked out to the rising sun of Wind Country. It was another beautiful morning for Suna. Another morning that the village would live to see, "Thank you, Kankuro..."

-ooOoo-

Tsunade opened an eye as she lifted a large tree branch from her leg. Nothing serious, and besides, with her new abilities, she could have it healed in no time if it had been.

"Is everyone okay?" she called out, and a few groans could be heard. She got up, and started helping her ninja out of the debris. What happened, she wondered. One minute they had their targets surrounded, the next there was a huge explosion, then everything went dark.

"Tsunade-sama...we've lost Yuugao, Kotetsu, and Izumo. Naruto must have used a Shadow Clone to cause the explosion." Ino said as she jumped down from a treetop. Tsunade sighed, they would have to go back and recover, no doubt. Sure, they healed faster than normal humans, but they were still mortal, and still capable of losing limbs, and still capable of pain.

"Very well, have them taken and we'll bury them in Konoha. Anything else?" Tsunade asked as she bent down to heal a Jonin's arm.

Ino didn't want to say it, but it would find its way to her one way or another, "Um...Sakura was among the group."

Tsunade nodded, "Yes, I'm aware of that. She's likely still uninfected because she left with Naruto and the others. You know how protective he is..."

"Actually, Tsunade-sama...she _is_ infected." Ino said, and tensed as Tsunade immediately stopped healing so she could turn and face the younger blonde.

"What do you mean? She was with the group, so how come they weren't infected as well?"

Ino gave Tsunade a shake of her head, "I don't know. Maybe she found a way to get around the thirst for blood or something. Regardless, she's among the others, and she could prove to be an obstacle if she doesn't join us. I'm guessing she had some connection with us that we all share. You know how we can sense each other so easily...?"

Tsunade nodded, "Go on..."

"Well, she may be able to do that to. That may explain how the villae was so empty and how they managed to get away so quickly from us. She may have sensed us beforehand." Ino finished, straightening her shirt out and brushing off the ashes from the explosion.

Tsunade sighed, "That's not good. However, as I said, we will not go about this whole hunt in a hostile manner. Those ninja are part of our family, we will not kill them," she got up, and looked straight towards Ino, "Go and hunt down some villagers. They can't be too far. Contact us as soon as you see them, understood."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Ino said, and dissapeared.

Tsunade rubbed her temples in aggravation. Things didn't turn out well for them, but it was a small matter. They would join her, one way or another.

-ooOoo-

A boy around twelve or so found himself pinned against a tree as he faced a blonde haired woman probably about five or six years his senior. He had a dagger in his hands, and he trembled as he held it out in front of him, "G-get away!"

Ino smiled at the boy. She hadn't had so much trouble with a civilian victim before, so this turned out to be fun. The other villagers couldn't be too far, seeing as he looked to be from the settlement they had been at the night before.

"You're fiesty one, aren't you? Hehe, I like that. I think I'll let you live, okay?" she said as she leaned towards him, and he couldn't help but blush at the raw beauty she had. If it weren't for the fact that her eyes were animalistic, and she had razor like claws and enlongated fangs, he would have surrendered to this woman.

"Heheh, you t-think I'm going to be fooled by that? I know what you do to your 'prey'. You rip them apart, and feast on them like wild dogs." he shouted, even though he couldn't help but stare into her wild eyes with a sense of enchantment.

Ino frowned slightly. First off, that wasn't true. Sure, they had a blood meal, but they ate like any other person would too. She just had some eggs a little while ago a the camp, and was going to have seconds until her hunger started telling her to go and look for prey. Tsunade had already found a few villagers, and the team was scouting the area, "That's a lie. We don't act like animals, despite what you may think. We actually only take about two ounces or so from the people we hunt, and usually let them live. It's only when things get violent that we attack."

The boy looked at his dagger, and swallowed hard, "Y-you're going to kill me, aren't you?"

Ino shook her head, "No, I don't think that would be fair. You have a family, I would assume."

The boys features were dark all of the sudden, "I did have a father...until one of your kind _killed_ him..."

"Are you sure that he was killed?"

The boy shed a few tears, "I heard him screaming bloody murder at the top of his lungs a few hours ago, and I haven't seen him since. This is all I have left to remember him by." he said, referring to his dagger.

Ino frowned, and put an hand on his cheek. She still was the caring kunoichi she had been...well, except when she was ravenous. Right now though, she was simply trying to get as many to their side as possible before they left back for Konoha.

"I'm sorry about what happened. I promise I won't kill you..." she said softly. The boy had his dagger at his side now, and was completely vulnerable.

"Then what are you going to do?" he asked, trembling slightly.

"I'm going to give you a gift." she replied, and without warning, bit the boy in the neck. She drained a little blood for about a minute's time; it would satisfy her hunger for now, and she was more concerned about his health than her hunger at the moment. He let out a quick scream, but it stopped as he felt the pain rack through his body. It was there, but the pain wasn't all that he was experiencing. His eyes began to dilate, his mouth began to foam. He gripped Ino's shirt, and felt the white hot pain shoot through him. Ino had done this before, and from experience knew that holding a younger victim was the best way to ensure they wouldn't hurt themselves in the confusion caused by all the pain. Before he knew it, he was convulsing a bit, "It'll be over soon." Ino she said quietly, now holding the boy and rubbing his back as he continued convulsing. His breathing hitched, and after a few minutes, he stopped.

The boy's eyes opened, and they revealed slit-like pupils, "Wha-?"

Ino smiled, "Welcome back. You're one of us now."

The boy's eyes widened, "One of...wait, I'm infected now?" he seemed to be even more scared than before.

Ino nodded, "Yep. You'll learn to live with it. It's not that bad actually..." The boy seemed to see the logic, and crouched over in pain. Ino knew what was wrong right away. He needed blood, "Okay, hurry up and follow me. I'm sure you can find someone who's not bitten yet. If all else fails, _I'll _lend you some of my own." This was also a standard code among infected shinobi: If there are no victims, lend your own for those who are in critical need of it. Then, go find a victim.

The boy seemed to nod, and the two ran with speeds like animals of the forest instead of humans.

Within two hours, the entire mountain village population had been either killed, or reintroduced as a hunter...

...slowly but surely, the countries surrounding Fire Country were taking there toll and being overrun by shinobi and civilian hunters.

-ooOoo-

Naruto opened one eye as he felt a few rays of light hit his face.

Morning...they made it through another night.

He slowly looked to see Sakura smiling at him, "I just didn't have the heart to wake you up. It was so adorable to see you sleep," she laughed a little, "Did you know that you talk in your sleep?"

Naruto's face flushed a little, "I do?"

Sakura smiled her slightly fanged grin, "Yep, and I heard 'Sakura-chan' and 'miso ramen' most of the time." She hugged him and looked into his eyes, "I can't believe how lucky I am to have been put on the same team as you all those years back..."

Naruto smiled at her comment, "Heheh, glad to hear that Sakura-chan, but I think I'm the luckier of the two here."

Their flirting was interrupted by a cough, and the two turned to see a rather smug looking Iruka, "If you two lovebirds don't mind, we saved some breakfast for you."

The two blushed a bit, and Naruto grumbled something about 'stinkin' Iruka-sensei', but the smell of what smelled like rabbit made his stomach growl. Sakura's own stomach joined Naruto's in chorus, and the two walked out to see the group sitting around a small fire. Everyone said good morning or greeted them in their own way, and Sakura and Naruto were about to join the meal when they saw two figures in their midst.

The two froze in place as they locked eyes with Sasuke Uchiha, and to his right they saw Deidara, the man they had once fought in their mission to rescue Gaara. Naruto felt a mixture of anxiety and fury run through him. However, he felt Sakura's hand squeeze his gently, and he managed to achieve reign his emotions for now.

The meal was actually quite delicious, thanks to the fact that Anko happen to carry some seasoning in a scroll she carried with her at all times. Naruto was quite suprised to see Sakura starting on her second rabbit leg while he was finishing his first one. Since when did she ever have such a huge appetite? He then remembered how she had a few new changes to her. He shrugged it off, happy to see that she was eating instead of simply picking at her meal. She didn't normally eat anything for breakfast during missions.

Sasuke looked at the two teammates that he was once part of, and noticed how much they had changed since he last ran into them. Sure, he had seen them when they tried to retrieve him together, but that was very short-lived. He got a good look at the two, and while he noticed some major changes (like Naruto being taller than Sakura), he also noticed some things hadn't changed. Naruto's hair still went off into every possible angle, and Sakura's hair still had that unique bubblegum pink color. Naruto's eyes were still that vibrant blue, and Sakura's were still the animal like slits surrounded by emerald.

Animal like slits?

Sasuke stopped eating, and took a closer look at Sakura's eyes, and eventually activated his Sharingan.

"Sasuke, what's up?" Deidara asked, noticing his comrade had stopped eating, and that he had his kekkai genkai working.

Sasuke, instead of answering Deidara, continued to look at Sakura, "Sakura..."

Everyone stopped eating, and turned to look at the Uchiha. Upon seeing his three tomoe, a few tensed up, and others unconciously put a hand over their weapon holsters.

Sakura seemed to notice the tone in her former teammate's voice, but spoke anyway, "Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

"Did you...by any chance...go out last night while we were sleeping? Maybe...ran into someone?"

Sakura seemed to understand where this was going, seeing as he was boring into her eyes, "No, I didn't."

Sasuke seemed unconvinced, "Really...?" he paused for a time, and everyone tensed as he set down his food, "Then...care to explain how you have eyes like the infected all of the sudden?"

Only a few of them saw what happened next. Kakashi tried to move, but Sasuke was too fast. Asuma barely had his trench knives out, but again, the Uchiha was too fast.

Naruto, however, was upon the boy within seconds.

As Naruto was blocking Sasuke's sword aimed for Sakura with a kunai, the two never stopped looking into each other's eyes. Naruto's were a hue of crimson while Sasuke had the Sharingan swirling around, "Watch it, teme, or I might not be so willing to just stop you next time."

Sasuke growled, "Dobe, what do you think you're doing? She's infected!"

"So? She's still Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke had the decency to look dumbfounded, "You mean to tell me that you knew and didn't do anything about it?!"

Before it could further escalate, Jiraiya and Kakashi were pulling the boys apart. Despite the danger she was almost in, Sakura couldn't help but smile at the way they seemed to glare at each other like years past while trying to take a shot at each other.

"Okay, before we try and pull anymore manuevers to kill Sakura, I think some explaining is in due order," spoke Jiraiya.

Sasuke gave the man a scowl, "Explain what?"

Jiraiya sighed. He forgot how much of a pain he heard the Uchiha could be, "Sakura, Naruto, mind telling your story again? I don't think you need to mention the Kyuubi in detail though, seeing as they both know of it already, aside from why it's helping your situation with your little feeding ritual."

So the two went through the whole explanation of how Sakura was not as bloodthirsy as she could be and how Naruto wasn't infected. Deidara seemed convinced enough, and Sasuke seemed a little less suspicous.

"Well, I suppose that makes things easier for us, seeing as you actually can tell when the infected are around." Deidara said with a grin. Sakura, though not entirely comfortable with someone who was part of Akatsuki near her, managed to nod with a small smile.

Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan, "Hn. Just don't go and do anything that will risk our lives. We still have to get to Suna."

"Wait...your helping us out?" said Kiba, looking at the Uchiha in disbelief.

Sasuke just shrugged while Deidara elaborated, "You're the only people we met that haven't tried to kill us since we started this little game of hide and seek with the hunters, un."

Kakashi decided to speak, "Well, we're about a good week and half's walk from Suna, but only a three day's sprint to the same place. Let's get cleaned up and move out within fifteen minutes. Leave no evidence that we're here."

Twenty minutes the eighteen ninja were bounding through the treetops. Kakashi, Hana, and Jiraiya were in the front; Iruka, Shikamaru, and Anko following second; Asuma, Deidara, Sasuke, and Naruto in third; Moegi, Kiba, and Sakura in fourth, and Hanabi, Shizune, and Hinata taking back. It was strategically placed so Hana with her dogs could warn the two strongest in the group of incoming danger, followed by Shikamaru who would be able to come up with a plan while being covered by Iruka and Anko. Should things get bad, Asuma, Sasuke, and Naruto would move ahead to fight while Deidara attacked from behind. Moegi and Sakura were behind for back up and medical response to the frontal forces while Kiba and Akamaru could be on alert for any other enemies approaching. Hinata and Hanabi were placed in back to keep an eye from behind with their Byakugan, and Shizune was for any further injuries that were given by the backup or frontal forces. Needless to say, Shikamaru came up with the whole scheme.

"What if Suna is destroyed when we arrive?" spoke Anko as the group began to hit the ground as the trees began to lessen in size.

"Well," started Jiraiya, "then I guess we either head north towards Earth country...which I _really _think is a stupid idea, or we bypass Suna and go further west."

Deidara called back from behind, "Actually, if I heard right from some civilians and from my headquarters before the infection hit us, Iwagakure was completely wiped out by the infection..."

"Your headquarters? How can you be so sure of that being true, are they _in_ the Earth Country?" Kiba said with a doubtful laugh.

Deidara just frowned, "No, the headquarters are well hidden from...wait a second, that's it, un!"

Naruto looked at the fellow blonde, "What?"

Deidara laughed, "I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner," he chuckled a bit, and called to Jiraiya again, "Hey, we may not have to resort to going further west if things are bad in Suna!"

Kakashi and Jiraiya turned behind and gave the S-rank nuke-nin a look of interest, "Go on..." said Kakashi.

Deidara couldn't stop the grin from spreading further, "We could simply go to the Akatsuki's former headquarters."

"Stop!" Jiraiya called out, and everyone did. He gave the missing Iwa-nin a dark look, "Do you take us for fools?"

Deidara frowned again, "What are you-?" he looked at Naruto, "Ah, I see where you're coming from. Listen, if you think I'm trying to bring you into some trap, I would have already done that to Sasuke first. He's been a bother to Akatsuki ever since he became a possible threat to Itachi," Deidara smirked, "and for the record, I didn't join the group on my own free will; they forced me into it."

Kakashi studied the man that he recalled only awhile back having torn off his arm via dimensional warp of space and time, courtesy of his altered Mangekyou Sharingan, "You better not be lying, or I won't be aiming for your arms next time."

Deidara nodded, "If this helps any," he pulled out a headband with the Hidden Rain symbol on it and a ring with the kanji for zero on it, "Leader-sama didn't get away so luckily from the infected. It was almost embarassing for him, but I decided to not help him until after he was bitten. He left me these souveniers when I blew his stomach inside out." His grin grew wider as he saw the mixed reactions.

"You killed your leader?" Naruto asked, and for a moment felt a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Maybe, just maybe, Akatsuki was gone for good?

"Well, in my defense he attacked first. I just did what any level-headed shinobi would do when attacked; fight back and kill if necessary." Deidara said, noticing the boy's eyes seem to light up a bit, "Only the leader though, there's still others out there that are unharmed yet, I can be sure of that...speaking of which." he looked at his cloak, "Do any of you know a fire jutsu? I've got to burn this thing before people start getting suspicous."

After a small Fireball Jutsu was made by Sasuke, the eighteen continued on their path to Sunagakure. Little was spoken aside from when they should make change in direction to avoid villages.

They stopped around seven, and camped for the night. Kiba and Moegi took first watch and Naruto and Sakura went off a little ways to do attend to Sakura's feeding needs. Sasuke noticed how the two were rather close to each other, and felt a slight smirk appear on his normally stoic face. The dobe did it, even if it was a little...unnatural.

Two hours later, the two most unlikely pair were standing at watch; Deidara and Sakura. Neither said a word for awhile, and in all truth, neither felt that watch was necessary. They passed by the last village around two, and that was close to seven hours ago. It was only barren patches of wood now, and the thick forests were gone. The moonlight was all they could use since a fire would be a beckon for miles around with the flat terrain.

"So...you really did kill him?" she asked, turning to the missing-nin.

Deidara looked to her, now wearing only a net vest and shirt with pants. He was actually quite...scrawny without his cloak billowing around him, "Well, I imagine that being disemboweled by means of exploding clay would do that to a person," he did, however, remember what his leader was capable of, but not completely, "He should be dead at least..."

Sakura frowned, "How can I be sure that you're not behind some elaborate scheme to trap us all and extract the Kyuubi from Naruto-kun?"

Even Deidara noticed the sudden suffix placement, seeing as she didn't add before in the time that he heard her refer to the blonde, "Naruto-kun, eh?"

Sakura huffed, "Just shut up. Geez, you're not only psychotic, but also annoying."

"Hey, I'm not psychotic, un!" he snapped.

Sakura gave him a deadpanned look, "Tell that to the villagers of Suna."

Deidara shut up upon hearing this, seeing her point. He would have gone into a tirade of how it wasn't psychotic, but artistic, however he remembered that this little pink-haired kunoichi was the one responsible for killing Sasori. He decided to pull an Itachi and just remain quiet and keep his emotions on a leash.

After a few minutes passed, Sakura broke the silence, and Deidara's stargazing, "Um...Deidara?"

"Hm?"

Sakura seemed to be trying to think of what to say at the moment, and paused a few times when she opened her mouth to speak.

"What?"

"Well..." she looked towards the ground, "um...thanks for helping us. Naruto told me how you killing the leader of Akatsuki really has taken a weight off his chest," she raised her eyes to him, and gave him a stern, yet non-threatening look, "You haven't earned our full trust yet, but Naruto might be willing to make amends with you. If he can do it, than so will I."

Deidara gave the girl an amused look, "Hm. Well, thanks, I guess, un."

The two said nothing for the next hour, and when they went to wake up Shikamaru and Hana so they could take over, they didn't share any looks between the two. Sakura didn't know exactly what to think of the blonde haired man, but she did know that he had probably just saved her Naruto's life, in a sense. If the man proved to be true to his words, and if Naruto was able to forgive and forget, then maybe she could possibly learn to trust the nuke-nin.

Besides, he was much more of a conversationalist than Kakashi or Sasuke had ever been.

**end of Chapter 6- Hoho, things are getting interesting, eh? I really enjoyed this chapter, and I would also like to note that it is by far the longest chapter I have ever written for any Naruto story. Not to mention one of my favorites; I don't know if I mentioned it earlier, but I get a real kick out of writing out Deidara's dialogue. I find his little 'un' thing at the end of his phrases to be one of the funniest things ever. It's like a mix between grumbling, muttering, and sighing at the same time. I could write another couple sentences about it, but I'll leave it at hearing the guy say it on the Shippuden episodes made laugh. I'm pretty sure alot of Deidara fans would agree that's one of his little quirks that makes him one of the more likeable S-rank criminals of Naruto. Well, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, more will be on the way! Later!**


	7. Sand Dune Sanctuary

**Disclaimer: Ninja vampires...Deidara being a good guy...Jiraiya not being a pervert...yeah, this is definitely not real Naruto. So, just to remind you all, I don't own the series in any way, shape, or form.**

**Outbreak**

**Chapter Seven: Sand Dune Sanctuary**

Gaara was filing out some papers that would make more shinobi remain on guard duty at night. It was a simple concept, but the paper work was ridiculous. Gaara heard a knock at the door, and it sounded frantic by how hard the person was pounding.

"Come in." Gaara said, calling a bit of sand from the surrounding area to protect him should it be an enemy.

A young Suna kunoichi with a worried look entered. She bowed quickly, "Kazekage-sama, our watch men have just reported that they spot a small band of possible survivors heading our way. They appear to be foreign ninja too."

Gaara put down his pen, "Go on."

"Well, we havent' been able to identify any yet, but we believe that they may be from either Konoha or Ame judging by the direction they're coming from." the woman continued, "What are you're orders, Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara stood up, "I'll accompany you. Take me to the group that has spotted them."

"Y-yes, Kazekage-sama."

Within two minutes, the two had reached the eastern look out post. There were about a dozen Suna nin of Chunin and Jounin rank guarding the area. Gaara's presence seemed to make a few feel unnerved, not because of who he was, but why he was here. If the Kazekage had came all the way because of a possible group of survivors were coming, then things _must _serious.

Gaara walked up to the man with a pair of binoculars, "Let me take a look."

"Ofcourse, my lord. They're about one and a half miles from here, north-northeast." the man said, handing Gaara the binoculars.

Gaara looked in the direction given, and indeed, there were probably at least sixteen people sprinting towards Suna. Gaara focused on one that had a peculiar colored uniform on, "Naruto..."

"Kazekage-sama?" the man asked.

Gaara said nothing, and looked past the approaching group. He suddenly felt his hopeful feelings sink as he saw the group being chased by a much larger group of what appeared to be Ame-nin.

Gaara handed the binoculars back, "Have the gates ready to be opened for the group. They're Konoha nin, and Naruto Uzumaki is among them."

A few of the older shinobi let out a gasp as they heard that the boy who helped rescue their leader was approaching the village. The leader of the lookout team nodded, "Right away, Kazekage-sama," he turned to a group of four shinobi, "let's go, we have our orders." with that being said, the five shinobi dissapeared to inform the gate keepers.

Gaara looked towards the group out in the desert, hoping that they would make it. If they did, he would be able to get some possible information on the status of the infection...

...and save his best friend.

-ooOoo-

"Shikamaru, how many more paper bombs do we have?" Asuma asked as the eighteen ninja ran through the sands like their lives depended on it. Well, in truth, it did.

"Ten more among Tenten, Shizune, and myself. All the others have used their's up." Shikamaru said as they heard another frenzied cry from their attackers.

Asuma grunted, "That's not good. Do you suppose Sunagakure can see us from out here?" he asked, looking towards the massive rock walls of the Hidden Sand Village.

Jiraiya was the one to reply, "Suna's pretty good about keeping a lookout, even from this far away. If we're this close, they're already preparing for us."

Shikamaru nodded as he layed another paper bomb on the ground as he ran. The group passed it by, and seconds later the explosion and cry of an infected shinobi told them that the move had worked this time.

Hanabi and Hinata were in the back with Naruto, who decided that his immunity would prove more beneficial in protecting the others. They had been on the run for about two hours now, and were getting tired.

Hanabi slipped a bit as she lost her footing in the sand. She quickly got up, only to see an Ame-nin flying at her.

"Got you!" the attacker cried out. Hanabi closed her eyes, knowing that her sister was going to be hurting to know that the young Hyuuga was killed. However, a popping sound, followed by a few grunts and yells shook the young Hyuuga from her paralysis. She opened her eyes to see about five Naruto clones fighting off the attackers.

Suddenly one of the Narutos rushed to Hanabi after kicking one of the infected. He scooped her up and sprinted to catch up, "Be careful next time, Hanabi." he said as the girl held onto him, fearing that if she let go that she would find herself surrounded by those vicious hunters.

The Ame-nin picked up their pace, and Naruto could feel them only a couple feet from him as well. He wasn't going to give in yet though, not while he had Hanabi under his protection. Besides, Sakura needed him.

Hanabi opened an eye and looked over her shoulder to see one of the infected with a malicious smile on his face. He grinned at her as he noticed her fearful look, "Naruto-san, please don't stop..." she said as tears began to form, "please...I don't want to die..." she cried into his shoulder.

Naruto groaned as his legs burned in pain, but seeing the rocky walls of Suna gave him hope. If only his legs wouldn't feel so weak.

The infected were merely a few feet from the blonde, _'I'm not going to make it...'_ he thought.

"Naruto!!!" Hanabi cried out as one of the infected lunged at the two.

The sound of something piercing flesh snapped the blonde's eyes open. He kept moving as he saw kunai, shuriken, and...sand...flying at the infected.

Naruto heard Kiba holler with joy, "Yeah, they're here!"

The blonde grinned as a few Suna nin on the top of the stone cliff surrounding of the village threw weapons at the attackers. A few sand like projectiles whizzed past the group, and Naruto couldn't help but laugh, "Thanks, Gaara."

-ooOoo-

Gaara had his hands in a seal as small beads of sand lifted into the air around him. He let them float for a few seconds before they whizzed through the air, much faster than any steel weapon could go. He may no longer contain the Shukaku, but he would be damned if he let himself become weak. Not when others needed him more than ever.

He gave an inward smile as he heard one of the ninja say, "Nice shot, Kazekage-sama!" The group had decided to give their refugees a little back up, and Gaara was glad he was there. He knew that his sand was able to hit their targets more accurately than a ninja weapon. He was pretty sure he just saved Naruto and a young girl from being attacked, if he had seen correctly.

Gaara decided that, despite the seriousness of the situation, he would bring some fun to their activity, "First to hit the Ame-nin with the large brown cloak and straw hat gets seventy ryou from me."

-ooOoo-

Kakashi saw at least six kunai fly past at amazing speed. He risked a peek behind to see an infected shinobi with a large brown cloak and straw hat fall dead as one of the weapons connected to their forehead.

"Wow, I didn't think it was possible to hit a target that well from their distance." Tenten spoke quietly as they heard a cheering from a Suna nin. It sounded like something about seventy ryou, or something.

The group saw the gates of Suna opening, and they increased their pace. Another minute and they would be in. Hopefully the infected would be stopped during the time they proceedd through the narrow entrance.

Four more screams of pain signaled that four more infected were killed as the attack from above continued. Jiraiya reminded himself to thank the Kazekage for taking care of that Rain Chunin that had been tailing him.

The group noticed a Suna Genin run out towards the entrance's opening, "Hurry, we'll cover you!" He quickly jumped up the rocky wall and threw a few shuriken as the Suna nins' attacks became even more aggressive.

As the group ran through the narrow passage, the Sand shinobi let out a rainstorm of weapons on their enemies. Within seconds, every last Rain nin was dead.

The group stopped at the entrance, heaving in air as they all collapsed. Akamaru was panting like mad as he fell on his side, exhausted. Hana's dogs followed suit, whimpering from the exertion and pain of their sore muscles.

A group of Suna nin jumped down, and they parted as Gaara approached the group, "It's good to see you're all alive. I take it that Konoha is destroyed?"

Kakashi was the first to answer, "Yes, Kazekage-sama. However, we've got quite a bit of information to tell you."

Gaara looked from the masked nin to the others. He noticed a few faces, Lee, Sakura, and that Tenten girl among them. He then looked to see Naruto trying to comfort a distressed Hyuuga girl that was a few years younger than him.

His gaze halted as he stared at two individuals among the group. He raised a column of sand, and flung it at Deidara, cocooning the man in a shell of sand.

"What is _he_ doing here?" the former Jinchuuriki asked, the old, icy tone from years past returned.

Naruto was the first to speak, "Wait, Gaara, stop! He helped us get through an attack. He and Sasuke both did, actually."

Gaara looked at his friend, "Why should I stop? He's a missing nin, and was responsible for quite a few deaths in Sunagakure. He's a dead man here, as far as I'm concerned."

Naruto nodded, "I understand, Gaara, you of all people have a right to hate him, but he's been helping us. Please, just let him go for now."

Gaara looked into the blonde's eyes. Naruto spoke volumes through those sapphire irises, and Gaara seemed to find that Naruto was being honest as one could get when the young Kazekage looked into them, "Very well, but I will be keeping an eye on the two. Sasuke Uchiha is also a missing nin."

Sasuke said nothing, but nodded. He had been lucky enough that he wasn't killed on the spot...not that it would be likely to happen if he had anything to say about it.

Deidara dropped to the ground and grumbled something about, 'stupid Ichibi-brat' under his breath.

An hour later found the group in Gaara's office with six Suna Jounin and four Suna ANBU near Gaara. To his right was Temari, who depsite the hectic past couple of weeks, seemed happier than she had been in days as she saw Shikamaru. The group had told about their situation with Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, Deidara, and the others. When they mentioned Tsunade to Gaara, he frowned.

"So...Lady Tsunade is now infected. That can't be good. She probably has alot of information that could bring harm to Suna and your group." the redheaded boy stated while looking at Jiraiya, who was currently informing the young Kazekage on their condition.

"That's possible, but the Hokage Tower suffered alot of damage in the attack. Chances are that some records may very well be destroyed..." the Toad Sannin said with a nod.

Gaara looked at each individual, and his eyes rested on Sakura, "Haruno-san, are you certain that you can control yourself?"

Sakura nodded, "Yes, Gaara-sama. Naruto has been providing me with my...needs...and it hasn't caused any side effects to him."

Gaara looked over the group one last time, his eyes lingering a little longer on Deidara and Sasuke, "Very well. Suna shall provide you with a safe haven. Understand that while you are here, you are under our laws and seeing as Konoha is in shambles, your village has no way to help you should you commit a crime."

The group gave an affirmative, then Naruto spoke, "So...um...where do we stay?"

Gaara looked to Temari, "I suppose that we can provide them with one of the empty inns for now, unless you think that we can provide otherwise."

Temari shrugged, "I think we should leave it up to them, personally." Shikamaru didn't miss the quick glance she gave him as she spoke. He merely grunted as he looked out a window. Troublesome woman...

-ooOoo-

**(one month later)**

Naruto was sitting ontop of the hotel roof that he and Sakura were staying at. He had slept in today, seeing as the group wasn't allowed outside the village walls to train. Then again...no one was allowed to do that.

The sun was rising, and he had gotten up quite early for once. Sakura had developed a tendency to move in her sleep over the past couple years it seemed...or at least she did when she shared a bed. Needless to say, Naruto got a wonderful wake up call when Sakura had glomped him in her sleep. He stayed like that for a while, enjoying the moment...until she snorted. He had tried to hold back the laughter, but failed. To make things worse, Sakura didn't seem to wake up to it, but smacked Naruot out of the bed and mumbled something that sounded like "baka" while she continued to sleep.

Now the blonde haired boy was here watching another day begin. He rarely saw the sun rise, so this was quite a nice view for him.

"You're up early." spoke a voice that caused Naruto to spin around quickly. He meet the face of his old friend Sasuke, and went quiet.

"What brings _you_ here?" Naruto asked, getting up to leave.

Sasuke sighed. He couldn't blame the guy; the Uchiha had not spoken little more than five sentences to Sakura or his former friend. He had saw the blonde, and decided to get this over with, "Naruto, stay here. I'm here to talk."

Naruto chukled at the statement, and Sasuke didn't have trouble sensing the bitterness in it, "Oh, so now I'm good enough to socialize with? I believe that last words you said to me were, 'Beat it, dobe.' but my memory's not the greatest."

Sasuke growled, "Damn it, Naruto, will you shut up for ten seconds. Look, I'm sorry, and I came here to talk."

Naruto spun around to face Sasuke, "Don't apologize to me. I wasn't the one who had been knocked out while crying out that they loved you and that they would do _anything_ for you to stay."

Sasuke, despite his past two and a half years of being taught how to kill his emotions, winced. Naruto seemed to have a way of making people do that, "Well...I want to talk to you first. Can you just...just give me five minutes?"

Naruto frowned, but nodded, "Fine. I guess I owe you that much after all those months we were friends."

Another hardball to Sasuke's ego, "Listen, Naruto...I don't expect you to forgive me anytime soon, but...I'm sorry...and I'm serious. Seeing Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, and you those weeks back when you were being attacked by Tsunade and the others brought some hope back to my life."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Sasuke...are you sick?"

Sasuke smirked, despite the somewhat indirect insult, "No, I'm not sick. The great, stuck-up Sasuke Uchiha is actually apologizing upon his own free will."

Naruto couldn't help but grin, "Wow, someone get me a camera. I need to capture this moment."

Sasuke shook his head, "Dobe...anyway...I mean it. If I had known what hell I would be put through when I joined the Sound back then, I probably would have stopped myself a long time ago."

Naruto grimaced, "You know, I hate to say it, but I told you so."

Sasuke nodded, "Yeah, you were right. I had been hearing rumors that Orochimaru was going to transfer into my body within a few months. Luckily, things worked out for me."

Naruto nodded, "So...I Orochimaru really...dead?"

Sasuke pulled down his blue attire that he had bought a couple of weeks back, and showed his now bare left shoulder. Naruto's eyes widened, "Yeah, he's dead allright. He may be a Sannin, but no man can stop an entire village worth of infected from invading your headquarters. Maybe if it hadn't so congested in his throne room, but regardless, he's dead."

Naruto smiled a little, "Well, that's one good bit of news I guess. It's hard to believe though."

Sasuke pulled up his collar again, "Yeah...but I'm glad I left when I did. Deidara and I were probably lucky to have bumped into each other though, he was planning on heading westward past Suna. He simply lucked out when I saw him."

Naruto laughed, "How's he been doing? I can imagine that he's been jumpy around here, right?"

To Naruto's surprise, the Uchiha shook his head, "No, he's actually keeping quite busy. He's been giving Suna's intelligence department any information he has on Akatsuki. He's not entirely positive if the group's completely destroyed..." Sasuke clenched a fist, but remained calm, "after all...he thinks my brother's still out there somewhere."

Naruto gave Sasuke a worried look, and decided to change the topic, "Oh, Sasuke, I was just thinking. Do you want to grab some breakfast later? Sakura, Kakashi and I have been meeting at this nice little stand that makes these things called 'waffles'. There pretty good, but the owner says that they originated elsewhere or something. You can put this sweet stuff on it called syrup, and they've got flavors like maple, and blueberry. Oh, and you can put strawberries-"

Sasuke smiled as he listened to his friend go on about waffles, and then saying something about a bakery that makes sweet rolls. The two eventually left the hotel to wake up Sakura and and wait until nine so they could yell at their chronically late sensei.

Yes...Sasuke was glad he left Sound. He had a home...and that home was wherever his friends were.

-ooOoo-

Shikamaru yawned as he strolled through the halls of the Subaka mansion. How did he end up here again? Oh...right. Temari, he remembered. Aside from the Nara boy, Jiraiya, Shizune, and much to his surprise, Moegi, were the only ones from the group to take up residence in the lavish estate.

Shikamaru had taken a liking to one of the rooms with a window on the ceiling. That way he could watch whenever the occasional clouds floated by. It was rare, but he enjoyed seeing them when he did. Most of the time though, all he saw was sand blow by, and the glaring sun.

"Morning, Shika." came the voice of Temari, who came up behind him and wrapped an arm around him.

Now, everyone would have expected Shikamaru to start complaining about her being too loud in th morning, or that she didn't need to hug him. However, it was actually the complete opposite with the two, "Morning to you too, Temari."

She smiled as she leaned against the yawning boy. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she had been worried about the lazy ninja when she got word of the attack on Konoha about two months ago. She never really knew why, but something about him just attracted her. Since she didn't see any other girls taking claim to him (though that Hanabi girl would talk to him when he was on the roof sometimes), she decided to make him hers. He didn't comlain, since he figured it would be too troublesome to argue.

"So, am I making breakfast today?" he asked her. She laughed.

"No, though I do appreciate the offer. I believe it's Gaara's turn today." she spoke.

Shikamaru actually smiled, "Good to hear. I would never imagine your brother to be such a good cook. I never had omelettes like the ones he makes before. That's saying alot since my mother was an excellent cook..." he suddenly frowned as he thought about his parents.

Temari didn't miss the sudden change in his mood, "Shika..." she gave him a hug, and could care less if Jiraiya himself were writing it all down in his little notepad he carried with him.

After a few minutes of silence, the two let go, "Thanks..." he whispered, trying to hide the tears in his eyes. He never let anyone know aside from her, Hanabi, and Asuma how he felt. It fell upon her to give him support. She knew he would do the same whenever she started thinking of Kankuro.

Temari grinned, "Well, let's go get some breakfast. You know how Gaara is about making a second batch for those who get there late."

Shikamaru laughed as the two headed downstairs to the dining room.

-ooOoo-

"Iruka...Iruka..."

The Chunin opened one eye as he was greeted by a smiling face of Anko Mitarashi. He knew right off the bat that she was wearing nothing under that baggy t-shirt she had probably just slipped on. He smiled as she grinned in a fashion that Lee and Naruto would be proud of.

"Hey, Anko-chan. I didn't sleep in too late, did I?" he asked as he stretched.

She shook her head, "No, I just woke up, and figured we could just stay in bed for awhile. I get bored when I have no one to talk about."

Iruka rolled his eyes; she was such a kid sometimes. Maybe that's why he loved her so much, "Fine, fine, "he yawned, "what do you want to talk about?"

She gave him a sultry looking smirk, "How did I guy like you ever get so good at what we did last night?" she propped her head on her elbow as he made small circles on his biceps.

Iruka merely smiled, "Good question. I never was much of a ladies man when we were younger."

"Understatement of the year." she joked, and couldn't help but laugh at the frown he gave her.

"You could sound less serious when you joke like that." Iruka said flatly.

Anko merely chuckled, "Aw, shut up, you big baby. You know I love you."

Iruka couldn't help but smile as the woman wrapped her self around him. The alarm clock read one thirty in the afternoon. They wouldn't slack off like this tomorrow, but today was for them alone.

-ooOoo-

Tenten and Lee were jogging at a mild pace around the perimeter of Suna. Despite her exhaustion, Tenten refused to stop and ask for a break.

Lee could tell though that she was getting tired, "Tenten, would like to stop for awhile."

Tenten looked at her green-suited friend, "Wha...? Oh...I'm...fine...Lee..." she panted, and managed to smile before almost tripping.

Lee caught her, "Tenten, I think we shall rest for awhile. Your body is too tired to continue, despite the youthful spirit you are displaying," Lee kneeled down next to her as she sat to catch her breath, "How about we go get some lunch?"

Tenten smiled at the boy, and couldn't help but blush as he looked into her eyes, "Sure...I-I think that would be nice Lee."

"Then lunch it is! You can pick out the place, and I shall pay for it. If I cannot cover the full cost and have you pay as well, than I shall run four hundred laps around Suna while Gaara weighs me down with sand!" he declared.

Tenten smiled as he helped her up, "Lee, that won't be neccessary, but thank you. If we have to share the cost, then I won't mind."

Lee noticed the way Tenten was wobbling slightly. Well, they had been jogging since ten this morning, and he was quite surprised she had kept with him for so long. It was now around two in the afternoon. They did stop for two thirty minute breaks, which he really didn't need, but Tenten had certainly become a lot better endurance wise, "Tenten, would you like me to carrry you? You seem to be a bit weak in the knees right now."

Tenten blushed a bit more, "Um...I guess-eep!" The next thing she knew, Lee was carrying her bridal style as they walked at a moderate pace. She felt his muscles under his shirt, and blushed. He really was quite built, she realized. She stopped her thoughts there, trying not to think of such things. This was Lee, her friend and teammate, not her boyfriend!

Tenten thought about that though. She still wasn't fully over Neji, and probably wouldn't be for a long time. There was also Gai-sensei, who despite being a bit eccentric, he truly had been an important person in her life. She imagined that Lee probably was having similar feelings about all of that right now.

However, Lee had been there for her, ever since this mess started. He even managed to convince the hotel owner to give her a lower rate on renting the hotel, which later became nothing as Gaara had asked that all the Konoha ninja be given free residence while they remained in Suna. Eventually they may set up residence in the village, but for now, they were refugees. Still, for one week, Tenten had only payed a third of the normal rate thanks to Lee. He really was looking out for her.

Looking at Lee made Tenten smile a bit, and she lifted her head to plant a small peck on his cheek.

The Chunin boy stopped, and for a second Tenten feared she had crossed the line, "Tenten...?"

She looked down, "I'm...I"m sorry, Lee...I was just..."

Lee cut her off, "Sorry? For what? I am not mad at you, Tenten." he gave her a smile.

She blushed, "I just wanted...to say thanks for always being there for me. You're a sweet guy."

Lee had the decency to blush, "O-oh...well, erm...you are quite welcome." He grinned at her compliment, and she let out a small giggle. He was quite cute when he was embarassed; she decided that she would do this more often...for the both of them.

She wrapped an arm around his neck as the two walked into the market section of Suna. They heard a few whispers from passerby, but were not worried. Besides, most of the whispers were from old ladies who seemed to be laughing at the 'young couple'.

-ooOoo-

Shizune and Kakashi were walking together to the training grounds within the village boundaries. While the interior training grounds weren't as good as the ones outside the main walls, these ones still served their purpose.

Shizune glanced over to the Jounin, and felt her eye twitch as she saw him reading his infamous smut, "Kakashi, could you please for once do something other than read that book?"

Kakashi gave the younger woman a flat look, "Is it that bothersome for you?"

Shizune tried to intensify her glare, but seeing Kakashi's visible eye crinkle as he smiled didn't help with doing so, "Just...oh, forget it."

Kakashi laughed, "Fine, fine. Don't expect me to do it for you all the time though. It's getting to a good part right now." the silver haired man put his book back into his pouch.

"Keep it to yourself, Kakashi." she groaned, and the two came up to their destination; Training ground four. They were suprised to see Hinata and Hanabi in the same area though.

Hinata looked up, "Oh...Kakashi-sensei, Shizune-sempai. How are you two today?" the elder Hyuuga asked as they both deactivated their kekkai genkai. Hanabi was a little more exhausted than her sister, but they both had their fair share of bruises.

"You two look like you've been training intensely." Kakashi said, his hands in his pockets.

Hanabi nodded, "Yes, Kakashi-sensei. Neesan has been giving me good advice on my stance and other such things. I'm...actually not as good as I thought."

Hinata gave her sister a small smile, "Hanabi, I told you that it takes time. If you recall, I was much worse than you when I was your age. You're doing fine for someone of your age and capability."

Shizune smiled as Hinata gave her younger sister some encouragement, "Hinata's right, Hanabi. You're doing great for a Genin your age. It's good to see that your taking advice from her though."

Hanabi merely nodded. Hinata looked into the sky, and looked towards the sun's position, "Well, I suppose we should go grab some lunch, eh Hanabi-chan?"

Hanabi smiled, and the two said goodbye to the two Jounin. After the Hyuuga sisters were gone, Shizune looked to Kakashi, "It's good to see that Hinata's been able to get Hanabi out of that depression she's been in."

"I agree. Hanabi may be more suited as a kunoichi than older sister, but I can't deny that Hinata's a strong person in terms of her will. I would have imagined the two had given up by now..." Kakashi replied as he looked on to the retreating pair.

Shizune gave the man a worried look, "Kakashi?"

Kakashi turned to the woman and smiled under his mask, "Sorry, just spacing out there. Well, shall we get this little training of ours done?"

Shizune didn't press onto the Jounin's behavior, and she simply smiled. She knew that Kakashi would not hide anything from the group if it was important. He wasn't a man to seek comfort from others, and Shizune was suprised that he was here with her at all. She went into a stance and he did likewise. She needed to vent out all this stress she had been having for the past month or so, and there was no better way than fighting someone like Kakashi.

-ooOoo-

Kiba and Akamaru were laying under the shade of a lone palm tree in the Suna market as the sun began its descent. Villagers seemed unconcerned with his presence, and after Gaara had let the public know of their predicament, few were worried. They were aware of the infection, and were more than happy to help their allies in their time of need.

"I was wondering where you are. Kiba-kun, I haven't seen you in a few days now."

The Inuzuka boy opened one lazy eye to see the pale eyes of Hinata, "Hey, Hinata. Yeah, sorry about that...I've been kind of taking it easy these pass couple days with Akamaru. He's not exactly a big fan of the heat." Kiba replied as he pet Akamaru's head. The giant dog let out a small bark of agreement.

Hinata took a seat next to the boy, "So, aside from being lazy, what have you been up to these past couple of days?" the Hyuuga asked, a gentle smile showing on her features. Kiba smiled back, teeth pointing out a bit as he did so.

"Heh, well, I had a spar with Naruto a few days ago, and had my rear-end handed to me. The guys not a walk through the park, and with Jiraiya teaching him, he's only getting stronger. I can only imagine how much he had trained in those two and a half years away from...Konoha..." the boy paused before he said the name of his village. His frown spoke alot, and Hinata put a hand on his shoulder.

"Kiba-kun..."

The Inuzuka boy sniffed back a few tears, "You know, the sick thing is...even though he's a Genin, he was able to protect more people than I could. I mean, not that I don't trust Sakura, but he's keeping her from attacking one of us as well...damn it, I'm not cut out to be a Chunin anymore Hinata...I-"

"Enough!"

Kiba looked bewildered as he turned to face an angry Hinata. It was rare to hear her shout out like that, but to see that look was just plain scary, "S-sorry...I just..."

Hinata leaned against him, "I know...I'm still hurting too. We have to stay strong though. I still have Hanabi...and you still have your sister to take care of too."

Kiba nodded, "You're right. Thanks, Hinata. I don't know how you do it, but you seem to make me feel more comfortable just by being near me sometimes."

Hinata blushed, and that toothy grin of the boy's only furthered her blushing. Oh, she wished he would stop that, she didn't know why, but lately she found herself more and more interested in Kiba. At least that what she wanted to think. In reality, she knew that perhaps she had found herself a little infatuated with the Inuzuka, "W-well, it's nothing. I'm just trying to help...that's all."

Kiba laughed, "Hinata, are you blushing?"

She only became redder upon hearing his remark, "I-I am not blushing!"

Kiba smiled, "You're not _falling _for me, are you?" he joked.

Hinata mumbled something that got both the boy and his dog's attention.

"What did you say?" he asked, a little quieter than before.

"I-I...I said...maybe...a little..."

Kiba sat there with his mouth open a little. Hinata..._the _Hyuuga Hinata...said she may have a small crush on him...maybe, "Oh...um..."

Hinata was now the color of a beet, "I...I-I have...I have to go...I'll see you later...Kiba-kun..." before she ran off, she gave the boy a quick kiss on the cheek. She got up, and walked ahead at a fast pace, but quickly turned around, "Oh...um...your sister was looking for you awhile back. You may want to talk to her." She then went sprinting off towards the Subaka residence while almost knocking over an elderly man in the process.

Kiba sat there for a moment, and then Akamaru let out a bark to his master.

Kiba shrugged, "I don't know _what _that was, buddy...but I liked it..." He put a hand on his cheek.

Meanwhile in the background around the corner was Hana, smiling. She knew asking Hinata to find her brother had been a good idea, "Score one for Hinata." she thought, and quickly left to go and prepare for guard duty for the night.

-ooOoo-

Moegi and Hana stood on the stony barrier that kept Suna seperated from the rest of the desert. The stars were just starting to come out, and a light wind blew. The two had volunteered, and by sheer luck were put together for the night. A cold desert breeze blew through the air, and Moegi shivered. She forgot how cold nights in Suna could get.

Hana looked at the girl, and then to one of her dogs. The dog gave a light woof before walking next to the redhead. Moegi jumped, but then noticed it was just one of Hana's hounds.

"Um...Hana-sempai...your dog is-"

"I told him too. You look like a leaf shaking in the wind. I figured he could provide you with some warmth." Hana smiled, her canines showing as was the typical thing of the Inuzuka.

The big dog licked her face, and she laughed a little, "Okay, okay, I give in." she hugged the dog as she began scratching behind his ear. Moegi and Hana became fast friends, since this was probably the fourth time in a few weeks that the two had shared guard duty.

"Well, glad to see you two can enjoy a boring night like this," came a voice from behind.

"Deidara-kun, you get bored too easily." came the reply of Moegi.

"Tch, well, if I didn't have Toad-boy here trying to peek in the windows of women's rooms, than maybe I wouldn't complain so much, un." said the clay user. The three all turned to gaze at said hermit as he giggled perversely while looking down at the village through his spyglass.

Hana's eyebrow twitched, "Jiraiya-sama, with all due respect, I would kindly advise you to stop that right now. You're lucky we haven't reported you to Gaara-sama yet."

Jiraiya stopped his little perverse 'research' and looked at the three, "Hmmph, fine. You know, Deidara, not everyone likes a tattle-tale."

Deidara raised an eyebrow, "Maybe, but _no one_ likes a pervert."

"That's _super_ pervert." Jiraiya said, as though it were common knowledge

Deidara decided to take the advice that Naruto had given him last week, "Ero-sannin..."

Jiraiya got up and was in the man's face in seconds and grabbing Deidara by the color, "What did you say???"

Deidara remained smiling, "Whoa, whoa, easy there. I'm just giving you the proper title of respect."

Hana and Moegi let out a giggle, and the Sannin's face turned red, but he let the man go, "Whatever...I'm going to have to have a talk with that brat about my nickname later..."

Deidara sighed, why did he have to get stuck with such a weirdo? Even Sasori was less of a hassle than the Toad-Sage. He was going to head back to his spot with Jiraiya when Moegi spoke up, "Deidara-kun...what's that out there?"

Everyone stopped and looked to where Moegi was looking. Thankfully she wasn't pointing, for that could inform a potential enemy that Suna knew of their presence. Deidara moved back his hair as he took a look through his lens, increasing his magnification with a few clicks. After a minute of analyzing, he cursed.

"What? Not more of-" Hana began.

"Yep, and they're moving fast." he spoke as he continued watching.

Jiraiya looked through his spyglass, and frowned as he saw them, "Oh boy...Hana, Moegi, you two better look at this..."

Moegi took a look through Deidara's lens as Hana did the same with Jiraiya's spyglass.

Hana gasped, "Holy sh-"

"I know," Jiraiya said, cutting her off, "I better warn the Kazekage about this...Deidara, get your clay ready. Hana, go warn the other lookout groups, and do it quickly. This isn't like the skirmishes fromt he past weeks...this looks much more serious."

Hana nodded as she called her dogs to follow her. Jiraiya gave Deidara a nod as he began to use his two mouths in either hand to chew prepare his clay. Moegi looked at the blonde haired man, "Deidara-kun...what are we going to do?"

Deidara looked at the girl, "Don't worry, Moegi...just stay close to me and I promise to protect you."

Moegi unconciously grabbed a kunai from her pouch as she looked towards the dark horizon of the desert. Off in the barely visible distance was a large line of shadows...well, they appeared like that. The moon was bright tonight, and the shadows it cast were making it seem that way. However, as Deidara looked through his eye lens, he noticed an entire line of infected ninja moving at a walking pace towards the village. It wasn't just the fact that they were moving so calmly that bothered him, or the fact that there was more lines following behind. No, even if there may very well be at least five hundred or so ninja approaching, if not more, that wasn't his concern. It was the amount of hitai-ites he had seen that sent a chill down his spine. He amazed to see saw a few Rain and Grass nin, and even the occasional Waterfall or Sound. Those weren't the ones that bothered him though. Looking through the lens, he saw quite a few Rock and Leaf nin. That didn't suprise him either...Konoha and Iwa had gotten hit hard by the attacks if he recalled correctly. The ones that sent a chill down his spine were the rare Mist and Cloud hitai-ites that he saw.

"Just how bad has it gotten out there...?" he asked himself, and forced his hands to chew the clay faster.

**end of Chapter Seven- Gah!!! Don't you just hate me for doing this to you?? Cutting things off so quickly when they were getting good only to make you roar in anger? Yeah, I know, I'm evil, but I enjoy it, lol. For those of you wondering about how Deidara and Sasuke gotten to be accepted so fast by everyone, I'll say this; in a preapocalypse situation, wouldn't you rather trust two guys who saved you than a bunch of infected killers? I may not be an expert, but I do know that humans tend to survive better in numbers. As for Moegi being seeming to be on such familiar terms with Deidara, I did it because I could see her warming up to the guy. He seemed to be the nicest bunch out of the Akatsuki group (aside from Tobi), and he always gave the impression that he would rather be doing something else than capturing Jinchuuriki...like maybe just blowing up buildings instead...anyway, another chapter done. Phew, this was another 'transition' chapter in ways. If you caught it, you could maybe have seen possible pairings...but not everyone will be paired, so don't flip out on the idea of Deidara dating Moegi...ew...er...yeah. I salute all of you have continued support my story, and hope you continue to do so! Well, hope you enjoyed this, more will be on the way...after I give my wrists a break from all the typing...I don't know how some of you people type so much, it scares me. Later!**


	8. Breakthrough

**Disclaimer: Hey everyone, we got a guest to do our disclaimer today! Itachi, c'mon over here!**

**Itachi: This is pointless...just tell them that-**

**Denim: Ah-ah, not another complaint, or I'll make Kisame do this with you.**

**Itachi: (Glares) Very well...Denim88 doesn't own Naruto in any way, nor does he own any of it's characters, myself included.**

**Denim: Itachi, did you ever consider being a voice-over for movie previews?**

**Itachi: Twice actually...then I went and killed my clan...it went down the drain from there.**

**Denim: Itachi...are you..crying?**

**Itachi: No! My eyes hurt, that's all! The Mangekyou Sharingan hurts the eyes, you know!**

**Denim: Right...well on with the story...here Itachi, I got some tissues...**

**A/N****: I'd like to thank all those on H&E for giving me your input on this story; it really means alot. Especially Recompense, TrueSalvation, and rickp2006. You guys rock! I also want to thank everyone who has read my story so far, again, your support helps keep me going with the updates!**

**Outbreak**

**Chapter Eight: Breakthrough**

Asuma ran towards the east gate with Shikamaru and Anko in tow. He had just recieved word from Gaara himself that a large force of hunters was a little more than two miles from the village. He was pretty sure that if the accounts he had recieved were correct, things were looking bleak for the desert civilization.

"Asuma...is it true?" Anko asked.

Asuma turned around, "Is what true?"

"That...Suna is the last stronghold for the shinobi world?"

He shook his head, "I don't know. The land of Snow is pretty far north, and across water...they may still be untouched. Aside from their shinobi village, the idea that Suna is the only remaining ninja village left untouched by the infected is very likely...though to hear that two powerful nations like Kirigakure and Kumogakure were attacked and overrun is saying alot."

Shikamaru grumbled the words 'troublesome' as they reached the look out. Upon taking a look, they all stopped in sheer horror. The rumors were right...this was a force not made to get in and infect a few individuals...the enemy was intending to overrun the area in one clean sweep.

"Son of a-"

"I know, Anko, I know..." came the voice of Temari, who had walked over to meet with the trio, "Iruka's over with the rest of the group."

Anko blushed a little, nodded, and headed over to the direction Temari had given.

Shikamaru sighed, "This isn't going to be pretty..."

Asuma nodded, grim features now on his face as he lit his cigarette, "Listen...we need to evacuate the villagers-"

"To where? This is a desert, Asuma-sensei. They would be better off here than out there." Temari asked, shaking her head.

The trio stared out into the darkness, the moon providing a light for them all as the shadows moved ever so closer to the village.

-ooOoo-

Naruto stood there on the rocky face of the northern lookout with Sakura and Sasuke to his left. He had been watching as the infected slowly marched towards them...ever so slowly.

"Why aren't they attacking already? They've been moving at a snail's pace for almost a half hour now." Naruto said as he gritted his teeth.

Sakura sighed, "They're trying to psyche us out...it's psychological warfare sort of. They're making us tense and hoping that prolonging their attack that they'll get us when we're most fearful. To know that a force the size like that is approaching you slowly with no obstacles is quite a horrible thing to go up against."

Sasuke nodded, "She's right, Naruto. They are just trying to get us rattled up. Don't worry about it."

Naruto looked to the still somewhat stoic Uchiha, and nodded, "Right. Sakura...do you know anyone out there?"

Sakura focused some chakra into her brain, and concentrated for awhile. After some time, she opened her slitghtly slitted pupils, "Everyone from the previous attack group...and many others. I don't know how this will go, but I'm sensing some strong chakra signatures out there..."

The three stood together like they had in days long past. Team Seven would never be what is was long ago...but that didn't mean it couldn't be more than what it was long ago.

-ooOoo-

Ino walked slowly next to Chouji. Even in a march towards the enemy, the Akimichi found the oppurtuniyt to eat a bag of potato chips. Ino rolled her eyes, "Chouji, we're on a march to war, you know..."

"I know, but I can't help it! I need my strength!"

"Chouji, you'd get more energy from a bowl of pasta or something...healthier. It's a surprise you manage to maintain all that muscle with all the fats you eat." Ino replied with a flat tone. Chouji merely smirked as he let his fangs show. Ino gave into a smile upon seeing that. He was definitely cute, she couldn't deny that. Maybe after all this was over, and after Shika and Asuma were with them, they could go and get some barbeque at the reconstructed stand back in Konoha. Then she could go on a date with Chouji, and he'd buy her all sorts of wonderful gifts, and she'd dress up in those outfits she had been saving for her first boyfriend.

Yes, Konoha was under reconstruction. Amazingly, a good portion of Konoha's people, shinobi and non-shinobi alike, had been infected. Therefore, they needed to start repairs. So far, fourty percent of the village had been fixed to a decent state. It was good to see some things returning to normal...despite that she would never live the same way ever again.

After fifteen minutes of walking with other infected ninja, foregin and of Konoha, Tsunade spoke up above the murmer of voices, "Halt!" Tsunade apparantly was the only living Kage--aside from Gaara-- that was able to lead. The Mizukage, who was already hated by his people to a certain degree, was killed quickly after the infection was spread via infected shinobi returning from the continental area. The Tsuchikage was killed when he had threatened to topple an entire mountain on the village. Apparantly they had planned on infecting him, but decided against it because of his rather brash attitude. Not a good thing for a newly created shinobi village of hunters. The Raikage was left for dead when he dissapeared into the Lightning Country's vast mountains. Three days later they found his corpse with a kunai lodged in his throat. It had apparantly been suicide. Though the Cloud-nin were infected, they mourned over the loss of their leader, saddened that he would have taken his own life instead of lead them into a new era. As a result of these losses, the Godaime Hokage had been chosen to lead the infected forces. They had set aside their differences, and decided that they should begin a new age, an era were the hunters would rule these lands, and where all could live in harmony. The issue of blood was not a concern, medical technology and jutsu could help with that in due time.

Right now though, the remaining stronghold of humanity, Sunagakure, was looming in the distance. It stood as a beckon of hope to the world of humans, and an obstacle to the infected. It had to be taken under control.

"All right, we are within the range of Suna's attacks now. As you're all aware, the Kazekage is a master of sand techniques. He could crush us all under a tidal wave of sand if we came much closer. Therefore, I will have a small group of ten shinobi accompany me. Any volunteers?" Tsunade spoke to the incredibly large group of shinobi. Ino and Chouji were immediately brought forward, as well as two Rain nin, a Cloud nin, three Stone nin, a Mist nin, and a Sound nin.

Tsunade nodded, and the group of eleven sprinted towards the stony walls of Suna.

-ooOoo-

"Lord Kazekage, a small group is approaching. I make out eleven, the Godaime Hokage included." spoke a Suna Jounin. Gaara nodded as he walked towards the stone edges of the great wall surrounding Suna. He looked down and indeed, there was the busty, blonde Hokage, along with a group of various shinobi from different villages.

"Don't attack until I give the signal." Gaara spoke, and walked to the edge, looking down to the now standing group of infected. He gave them a cold glare, "What brings you and your forces here, _Lady Hokage_?" Gaara asked in a loud enough voice so it could be carried down to them. Tsunade didn't miss the edge in the last part of Gaara's question. Apparantly he wasn't to happy about Konoha's state.

"Kazekage-dono, we have come in hopes that you would give up in peace. We do not wish to cause any unnecessary bloodshed, and will allow all your people to remain in the home. All we ask as that you join us as hunters, and become part of our alliance." Tsunade replied in a shouting tone. She knew that even as powerful as she was, confronting Gaara wasn't a smart thing to do.

Gaara stared at her, "I'm afraid that even if I agreed, my people would disagree. My village enjoys life as it is, and feasting on the blood of others isn't among our desires in life. Now leave Wind Country and never return."

Tsunade smirked, "I'm afraid Wind Country is no longer under your daimyo's control. Wind Country is now a part of the Allied Shinobi nations...which in due time will be no more, and we will be under a single rule. For now, though, we are allies. Please reconsider your choice, Lord Kazekage."

Gaara growled, Wind Country was no more? That would explain the lack of communication from the outside. He quickly turned to Temari, "Temari...I want you to inform the Sand nin to relay these words to the Suna forces; should this attack from the infected succeed, any survivors are to retreat and remain in hiding until a way to defeat them is found out."

Temari spoke quietly, "How do we relay information between survivors throughout the continent?"

Gaara nodded, "For now...doves...they are white and a shinobi can tame them easily. We can identify them easily throughout the continent..."

Temari nodded, and went to relay the information to the other shinobi. Gaara knew that this was not good. The sheer number of infected standing out in the distance was enough to have even him a bit nervous.

"Well, Kazekage-dono, what is your answer?" Tsunade called out.

Gaara took in a deep breath, and sighed. Had he known this would happen in his future as Kazekage, he would have had Baki take it. It was too late now, though. Baki was killed in the first attack on Suna. Now, the fate of his entire village rested on his shoulders...

Gaara thought about his friends, the safety he promised them. He thought about how hard he had to work to achieve the respect of his people, and their unwavering trust...

...then he thought of Kankuro, and the sacrifice he made so that Suna could leave to see another day.

"Kankuro..."

"Lord Kazekage?" a Jounin asked quietly.

Gaara looked to the group of Suna nin around him, "Tell me...do you truly love this village?"

"Kazekage-sama, I would gladly die to protect Suna."

"As would I!"

"Same here."

Gaara nodded as he heard the continued replies, all very similar. He turned to face the infected group, but spoke to his fellow shinobi, "My friends...I don't know if we'll live to see sunrise...but I would like to thank everyone of you for being such faithful shinobi all these years." Gaara then spoke to the small group outside the gates, "This is my answer, Hokage-dono." He lifted a hand, and watched as one of the Stone nin was caught in the sand around him. He was brought into the air, and Gaara clenched his fist, "Sand Burial!"

The signal was given.

Tsunade and the others ran for all they were worth as a hailstorm of weapons came down upon them. Eventually all that remained of the group as they reached the infected was Tsunade, Ino, Chouji, and the Cloud nin, "They've given their answer. We attack!"

The infected let out inhuman roars, and the voices could be heard across the sandy air as the moon glowed ominously.

So began Suna's last stand...

-ooOoo-

Temari had just finished getting the information to spread throughout the shinobi, and now she had stopped next to Shikamaru, catching her breath. A blood-curdling roar of thousands of infected shinobi got her attention.

"Shoot, looks like they're attacking." the Shadow user replied, pulling out a kunai and tying an explosive tag to the end.

Temari looked out to the desert, and then to the nervous Nara boy. Well, it was now or never, "Shika, if we don't make it out of here alive...well, I just want to say that I love you..."

Shikamaru stared at the wind using kunoichi, then frowned, "Troublesome woman, you wait until now to tell me this?!"

Temari growled, "Oh shut up! At least I had the courage to say anything. I didn't hear you making any confessions!"

Shikamaru shrugged, "Too troublesome to say anything. Besides, I don't know what Gaara would say."

Temari growled more, grabbed Shikamaru by the cheeks and forced his lips to hers. She stayed like that for a moment before pulling back, "Damn it, if we make it through this, you are so dead! As of now, all my anger from you is going into this battle, so consider yourself lucky. Oh, and if you're thinking of dying to avoid me, think again. I'll be right behind you dragging you back to world of the living!"

As the blonde kunoichi dashed off to the gate's edge, Shikamaru sighed. All he ever wanted was to be an average ninja...but no, he just had to go and meet Temari and then show his smarts in the Chunin exam. Now here he was, a Jounin.

"That woman's going to be the death of me someday..." he grumbled as he chucked his kunai out into the wave of infected out in the desert. An explosion followed by a few cries was heard as he muttered a few incoherent complaints.

-ooOoo-

Hinata and Kiba were standing next to each other as Akamaru growled. The infected were on the move, and moving very fast for that matter. They were both close range fighters, and until the walls or gate were breached, they were to remain out of the way.

"Kiba-kun. What's going to happen?" Hinata asked, fear laced in her voice. Kiba turned to her, and didn't know what to say.

"I don't know...but Hinata...?"

"Yes?"

"I want you to know that I'm glad that you and I were teammates for all these years...I only wish Shino and Kurenai-sensei were here too...I hope they're okay..." The Inuzuka smiled sadly, "Having you here with me though is enough...I care about you more than I ever thought I could, and this past month with you has shown me just how wonderful of a friend you are...well, no, you're more than that to me...I guess."

Hinata felt a moisture on her cheeks. No, he can't say that! Not when this was happening!

"K-Kiba-kun!" she quickly tackled him to the ground and held onto him as though her life depended on it while letting the tears roll down her face.

"Hinata...don't cry...we'll make it through this..." Kiba said, wishing he could believe his own words.

-ooOoo-

Jiraiya stood there while staring out into the darkness. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Deidara.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be preparing clay for the mines."

"Already done with them, they should be-"

A loud explosiong followed by a lightshow interrupted their talk, "Oh, there they go, un..."

Jiraiya nodded, "You know Deidara, I know we never were good friends, let alone aquaintances...but you seem like an okay guy, despite you past. I'm glad you joined us."

Deidara chuckled, "Heh, no problem. Just came to say that you're needed in the main attack squad. The infected may try and breach the wall soon."

Jiraiya grunted an affirmative while staring at the plume of fire from Deidara's clay mine, "Wow...that's quite an explosion...pretty neat for something that came from clay..." Jiraiya noticed how the miniature mushroom cloud seemed to slowly die off, and it was a beautiful sight to see. Though deadly, the explosion gave off a brilliant yellow and orange light, "Almost artistic..."

Deidara stopped dead in his tracks, "Wait...did you say that you thought my explosions were...artistic?"

Jiraiya nodded before leaving, "Yeah, they have a beautiful way of giving off light I guess. I happen to be a fan of fire jutsu, so I can tell when someone puts an effort into making an explosion."

Deidara said nothing as the Toad Sage went to join the main defense teams. He smirked as he thought of how Sasori never fully agreed on Deidara's artwork. Apparantly not all older ninja thought the same of his clay explosives, "Huh, seems like I should start showing the Sannin more respect, un." With that, he went to go look for a place to help fight.

-ooOoo-

"Anko, what do you mean you have something important to say? We're in the middle of a battle! The enemy will be breaking through the gates any minute!" Iruka yelled as the immature kunoich was following him.

"Will you just shut up for ten seconds so I can talk?!" Anko roared, and this caused the former academy teacher to stop.

"Fine, what is it?" he asked.

"Do you think I would be a good wife? Be honest."

Iruka nearly face faulted, "What?!! Anko, now's not the time! We're in a life or death situation here!"

Anko looked hurt, she had no knowledge on how to approach this topic right now, her mind was conflicting between going out and trying to protect the male Chunin or just breaking down into tears and saying she was scared of possibly losing him, "J-just answer the question!"

Iruka saw the look of fear in her eyes. Oh...this was one of those situations. He sighed, and walked up to pull her into a hug, "Anko, while I'm not ready for a family yet, I would be happy to take our relationship a step further if we live through this. I promise...it won't be just...well, us in the bed...if that's what you want, than I would be happy to go to that next level with you. It's too soon to decide on a family though, Anko."

She looked into his eyes, "Iruka...I'm scared...and I don't know why, but I can't shake this feeling off. I'm scared I'll lose you."

Iruka continued to hold her, "Anko...we're shinobi, we must always be ready for things like this. If we always-"

"Stop it! Stop that academy teacher talk, right now! Damn it, Iruka Umino, I _love_ you! There I said it! I, Anko Mitarashi, _love you_, Iruka Umino!" she began to pound her fists into his chest, "I havent' felt this way ever before! Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why did it have to be you?!"

Iruka silently held her as she continued screaming into his chest. It wasn't fair that it took this to get them together. He never would have thought that Anko and he could possibly be a couple...that's probably why they never got together in Konoha. Sure, they fooled around back when they were younger, but nothing more. Now, here they were, preparing to fight for their lives while being incredibly outnumbered...and all he could think of was how he could apologize to this strangely beautiful woman that he never thought of dating before.

"Anko...if it helps any...you had been my...my..."

Anko looked up, "Your first?"

Iruka blushed, "Yeah...back when we were only teens and you were still only a Chunin..."

"You know...I really did enjoy that night...I never knew that _you _were capable of doing that in a tree. I must say, no other guy ever did that with-"

"Anko, please..."

She magnaged to smile, "Sorry. I mean it though...I love you Iruka...you're the first guy I've felt like this towards. I don't want to lose that."

Iruka gave her a goofy smile, "Well, guess I better not die then, heheh."

Anko smiled mischeviously, "Otherwise I may have to start making moves on that Naruto kid...he's kind of cute and innocent looking..."

Iruka gave her a scared look, "Anko...you wouldn't!" The half lidded smile she gave him though told him otherwise, either that or she was doing this to tease him. Now he had to live through this for both her and Naruto...though maybe Naruto wouldn't mind it if Anko- wait, no stop that! He had others depending on him!

Iruka gave Anko a grin, and turned to the pounding of the stressed gate. Among them were many Suna nin, all with weapons bared. A few kunoichi and male ninja were holding hands, others were grim looking...in the end, they all had a reason to fight for themselves.

Anko and Iruka had one too now.

-ooOoo-

The eastern front was broken through, and the infected poured in like mice to a grain silo. Sasuke went through handseals at a fast pace, and blew out a blast of fire, incinerating the infected as the flames spread. He quickly ended his attack in time to whip his sword out and decapitate a Grass nin.

Naruto landed behind Sasuke, and the two stood back to back, "So, you got any ideas on how to beat these freaks?"

Sasuke looked to see Sakura lifting a large slab of rubble from an explosion and throwing it at horde of hunters, "Sakura seems to be doing fine..."

Naruto laughed, despite the situation, "Yeah, she's improved since you left, Sasuke...she's like how Baa-chan was..."

Sasuke nodded, noticing Naruto's use of past tense while refering to the Godaime Hokage, "Naruto...get a Rasengan going...we should use that technique we've been working on."

Naruto beamed at the Uchiha, "Okay, cover for me, will you?" Sasuke grunted an affirmative as Naruto created a clone and began to form the powerful sphere of rotating chakra, "Okay, it's ready."

Sasuke began to make a few seals, then his hand began to crackle with electricity, "Chidori!"

The infected ninja seemed to stop for a few seconds, and stare at the two, then a random Rock nin yelled, "There's only two of them! We can take them!" A yell of agreement was made as they charged in.

Naruto slowly moved his Rasengan under Sasuke's sparking hand, and soon the electricity began to spin into the chakra sphere, and the attacks merged into a ball of rotating electricity.

"Ready Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded.

The two ran at the approaching forces, and each using a hand, launched their attack, "Rasenchidori!"

The rotating sphere let out a thunderclap as it grew in size, and plowed through the enemy lines. Screams of pain and death were heard as the ball of lightning continued out of the gate entryway, and then exploded in a great burst of light and power.

"You should have put more power into your Rasengan..."

Naruto sighed, "Well, the Oodama Rasengan takes more time, which we didn't have. It did the job though." Sasuke nodded as he pulled out his sword again as a second wave of infected came at them.

Sakura landed beside Naruto, "Nice work guys, Kakashi-sensei said that attack may have wiped out a sixth of the possible forces from where he was watching."

Naruto let out a groan, "You're telling me that we only killed a sixth of the possible enemy forces with that attack?"

Sakura merely shrugged, "Hey, it's still a sixth. Look on the bright side, at least you guys each pitched in chakra to use the Rasenchidori instead of just one of you."

The two boys grunted a reply as the infected came at them again, and the three prepared to attack.

_Thup, thup, thup, thup, thup!_

The trio saw several bodies fall to the ground, and looked to see Tenten grinning while holding a belt of kunai in her arms while Lee gave them his nice guy pose.

Tenten and Lee landed next to them, "We can't let you guys have all the fun." Tenten smiled.

"That is the spirit, Tenten! Let the springtime of-"

"Lee, focus on the battle!" Tenten scolded as she smackd him on the head.

"Of course, one must always focus on the enemy while engaged in combat." Lee said as he went into his stance.

Together the five stood together as the enemy approached them with feral growls and smiles promising pain and agony if they let down their guard.

-ooOoo-

Shizune and Kakashi stood on the northern lookout area as they took out the infected from above the walls. The eastern front had been breached, but it seemed to be under control for now. The two Jounin stood at ready, waiting for the infected to make a move.

"Well, what do you make of it, Kakashi?" Shizune asked as she tossed a few senbon, cursing as they missed a Cloud nin.

"So far, all they've been doing is attacking blindly, or in planned movements at best. Despite the fact that they're intelligent, they aren't going about this like shinobi should. I have yet to see anyone use jutsu on us too."

"I noticed that too." Shizune agreed, and threw another barrage of senbon, pleased to hear a Sound nin cry out in pain.

Suddenly a loud crashing sound was heard as a part of the wall around them came down. They jumped onto a nearby roof, and watched as a lone figure got up from the wreckage.

"Well, now we're in trouble..." Kakashi said as he watched the figure come into view.

Shizune let out a growl of anger, "Tsunade-sama..."

Tsunade continued to walk towards the two, and stopped about fifteen yards from the two. The infected behind her made a move to attack, but Tsunade held up a hand, "Don't...this is my fight. Go and take the village."

Shizune's eyes burned with fury, "How could you do this, Tsunade-sama?!"

Tsunade said nothing, but went into a stance, "Shizune, don't make me have to harm you..."

Kakashi pulled up his headband, "With all due respect, _Hokage-sama_, you already know we won't be surrendering, so your little talks about uniting as one are wasted on us..." the silver haired Jounin pulled out a kunai as a bead of sweat ran down his neck. He knew this was a deadly fight, despite the fact that they outnumbered her.

Tsunade sighed, putting a hand on her hips, "Stubborn are we? Very well...don't say I didn't warn you."

With that being said, Tsunade leapt into the air, and made a motion to break the ground around them with a heel drop. The two Jounin moved as the blonde woman landed where they had been only moments ago.

"Kakashi, this isn't good." Shizune said as she went through a few seals, and lit her hands up with two chakra scapels.

The two waited for the Slug Sannin to make her move when a voice broke the silence, "Kakashi, Shizune, I'll handle this..."

The two Jounin and Tsunade turned to look at Jiraiya standing on a roof no more than twenty yards from where they were fighting. Shizune and Kakashi exchanged looks, but said nothing as they went off to help the Suna nin.

Tsunade sighed, "Damn it, Jiraiya, even when the last stronghold of humanity is about to fall, you still manage to bug me..."

Jiraiya gave her a deadly grin, "What can I say...I've always been that way around you..."

Tsunade looked at him and chuckled, "You don't actually think you can stop me, do you? Come on, you know I'm more powerful than you..."

Jiraiya's smirk vanished, "This isn't about _me_, Tsunade, this is about your fellow Leaf nin who you decided to betray by letting the infection take over you...I'd rather die than experience a life of feeding on human blood..."

Tsunade's shot the white haired man an intense glare, "Watch what you're saying...I can arrange death if that's what you choose..." she cracked her knuckles to emphasize her point.

Jiraiya sighed, "Tsunade, I know you won't believe me, but you've hurt me too...not just Naruto and Sakura. You really let us all down."

Tsunade growled, "Shut it! I don't need a half-minded pervert telling me how to live."

Despite him being used to Tsunade's jibes at his lifestyle, Jiraiya couldn't help but wince at that. She sounded like she seriously didn't care, "You know...I really have always cared about you..." he said in a quiet tone, regret laced in his voice, "I really wish you had given me a real chance...maybe I could have become a better man if that had happened..."

Tsunade held back a frown. She actually for a second felt like smiling...he really cared about her that way?

"Listen, if you join us...I'll give you a chance." Tsunade offered, already knowing the answer.

Jiraiya glared at her, "So you're bribing me, eh? Wow, that's real touching Tsunade..."

Tsunade's expression softened, "There's no other alternative, Jiraiya. I'm infected...you'll have that happen too if you want to live your life with me..."

Jiraiya sighed, and went into a stance, "Sorry, Tsunade...but the woman that I love would never have done this..."

Tsunade, despite being a hunter, really wished that things could be different. Jiraiya had admitted his feelings--which she had a feeling she knew about the whole time they had known each other--and now he said that he wouldn't join her. She got into a taijutsu stance, and gave him a sad smile, "Well, then I hope you're ready to die...though I really wish you'd reconsider...you're a wonderful guy, despite your shortcomings..."

Jiraiya laughed, "Look who's talking..."

The wind blew past the two as they stared each other down. As the breeze died down, Tsunade gave Jiraiya one last smile. Then, she leapt at him as he prepared to defend himself.

-ooOoo-

Hanabi and Moegi were avoiding attacks like there was no tommorow. Being young made the two of them an easy target, but luckily Moegi had always been a girl with natural agility while Hanabi was quite gifted at defending with the Rotation now. Plus, having a former S-rank criminal by your side helped.

"Deidara-kun, where are the others?" the red head asked as she managed to lodge a kunai into an infected enemy's temple on the side of their head.

"Not sure, un." was all the blonde headed man said as he jumped beside Moegi and Hanabi, and stabbed two Rain kunoichi in the throats. He wasn't a close range fighter, but he could fight with a kunai if he had to. If only he could get some distance between himself and the hunters...but the girls' safety was also a concern.

The horde had increased by half, and now the two, along with some Suna Chunin that had survived the first wave, were surrounded from all sides. Not good...

"Well, this looks like the end..." spoke a female Chunin as she pulled out another three shuriken.

Hanabi gritted her teeth, and bit back a growl of anger. She wasn't strong enough to protect the others. She had made a promise to become stronger, too! She went into a her Hyuuga stance again, "We can't give up yet."

Deidara said nothing as he let some clay be molded in his hands' "mouths".

"Deidara-kun...what do we do?" Moegi said, gripping her weapon with a trembling hand.

The enemy slowly moved in. They were going to take them out in heartbeat once they pounced...Deidara mentally noted his clay was almost ready.

"Well, I must say...it was quite a surprise to find the infamous Deidara of the Hidden Rock Village among these Suna nin." spoke a random Rock nin in the group of infected.

Deidara grimaced, but decided to give himself as much time as needed, "Tch, I'd rather join Suna than a bunch of animals, un."

The few Chunin in the group gave Deidara a look saying, 'Do you _want _to die???' A growl from the infected helped clarify the Suna ninjas' looks. Apparantly calling the infected animals wasn't a smart thing to do.

"You want to die, freak?" asked the Rock nin. Wrong thing to say...

"What did you call me?" Deidara asked quietly, and if one looked, they could see his hands chew on the clay more vigorously than before.

The Rock-nin smirked, "I called you 'freak'. What, does that hurt? Heheheh..."

Deidara moved in closer to the group, "When I say so...jump up as high into the air as possible..." Moegi, Hanabi, and the others nodded slightly, "You know...I was going to just ignore your ugly face and kill you mercifully...but now I've had a change of plans..."

The infected all visibly backed up a step as Deidara lifted his palms up.

"Get him!!!!" yelled the Rock-nin.

"Now!" yelled Deidara, and the group jumped into the air. Deidara quickly released two birds of clay, and expanded them before jumping on one's back and catching Hanabi and Moegi in the process. The second bird caught the small group of Suna nin. Deidara quickly enlarged the bird's size to accomadate the groups' number.

"Now what, Deidara-kun?" Moegi said, feeling a little uneasy in the air. Deidara gave her a grin.

"Well...we begin making art, that's what."

Moegi sweatdropped, knowing all too well what that statement meant. Hanabi simply shook her head at the older man's antics.

Near the southern front on the opposite side of where Deidara and the others were, a few Suna nin saw a huge explosion erupt in the northern gate area. Surprisingly, it didn't destroy that many buildings. A few bodies could be seen flying in the air, charred alive with mouths hanging open in terror of the powerful explosive jutsu of Deidara.

-ooOoo-

Gaara was shaking his head in despair. Things weren't looking good at all, he thought. The west gate was breached, and most of the forces there were wiped out. The eastern gate was under a heavy attack right now, and he had just recieved word from a Genin that Naruto and Sasuke had eliminated about a good fraction of the enemy forces, yet were still under heavy attack. The northern gate recieved the worse of it all. Tsunade herself had toppled the wall by the gate, and the infected were moving in like cockroaches. He recieved a small comfort after seeing Deidara himself destroy a group of the infected with an explosion. Then there was the south gate, which was currently being the last resort escape for villagers. Luckily the infected had yet to reach that far, but Gaara knew it would only be a matter of time.

Just as he thought those words, an explosion erupted in the southern front. He bit back a curse, and looked to three Genin, "Go and see what happened. Do not engage in battle unless absolutely necessary. I want a report on what happened within ten minutes at most." The Genin nodded and ran towards the southern gate.

Minutes passed, and there was no sign of the team he sent. Soon nine minutes had passed. That's when Gaara noticed one of the Genin running towards him.

"The southern gate has been breached!!! The southern gate has been-"

A shuriken to the back of the skull killed him. Gaara turned to see a few infected Leaf nin appear behind the boy. Gaara felt his anger rise; the boy had given his life to relay this information.

"Your village is done for, Kazekage-sama." spoke a man with numerous scars on his face; Ibiki Morino.

"You killed him..."

Ibiki nodded, "We couldn't have him giving us away now, could we?"

Gaara stood there, unmoving, "What did you do to the villagers?" A sickening grin from the group of Leaf nin was all he got...and that was all he needed.

Within seconds, the group of Leaf nin was cocooned in sand. Gaara rose the numerous blobs of sand into the air, and clenched both his fists, "Sand Burial!"

The sand rained down as Gaara noticed a few Suna Jounin running to him. Seconds passed, and Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba and Hana Inuzuka soon followed, accompained by their dogs.

"Kazekage-sama, we're losing numbers fast...I'm afraid it looks bleak for us..." spoke a Jounin.

Kiba spoke up, "He's rigth Gaara...we're all that's left of the western gate..." Hinata nodded sadly in agreement.

Gaara couldn't spare anymore forces. Retreat out into the desert was hopeless...

"Call all remaining forces to the center of the village...we're not going down without a fight." Gaara spoke as the group nodded. Kiba, Hana, and Hinata stayed with the Godaime Kazekage as he stared at the wreckage that was once the proud village Hidden in the Sand.

He wouldn't give up yet...not until he had exhausted all other options...however, even if he gave up, he wouldn't give himself up to the infected...not for all the wealth in the world would he give up his freedom...

...but he had a feeling that either way...Suna wouldn't be around to see another sunrise after tonight...

**end of Chapter Eight- Well, I'm done with this chapter, finally! Whew...now, in case you're wondering, yes, thought the idea of combining Naruto and Sasuke's most powerful attacks into one was a bit weird at first. I don't even know if the name makes sense completely...Spiraling...One Thousand Birds...? Bah, whatever, it's awesome in my opinion. On a sidenote, there will probably be a timeskip in the future chapters...and no, I have no clue how long this story will be to be honest. In the end, I will make it as long as I see it necessary. In the meantime, thanks for reading the chapter, and I hope you continue to enjoy this less than common idea of Naruto and 'Zombie' horror film, lol.**


	9. The Fall of Sunagakure and Humanity

**Disclaimer: You seriously have to wonder if a post infected Shinobi world would really end up like this in the Narutovers...hm...well, anyway, I don't own Naruto.**

**Outbreak**

**Chapter Nine: The Fall of Sunagakure and Humanity**

Everyone stood on the roofs of the buildings around the Kazekage mansion. It became very clear to the surviving forces defending Suna that this battle was a lost cause. However, they would gladly die for their village, even if it was practically decimated in terms of population.

"Cover all sides, leave them no room to flank us!" yelled Asuma as the remaining one hundred Suna nin, the Konoha survivors, and even a few civilians, took their places for the final stand against the infected.

Gaara walked up to the bearded Jounin, "Asuma-san...where is Naruto and Jiraiya-sama?"

"I don't know, but Sakura might know." Asuma replied, but before anything further was spoken, a loud crash was heard in the distance as a building fell over in a heap of dust.

"What the heck was that?" spoke Kiba as he and Akamaru looked over to the falling dust cloud.

Kakashi sensed three seperate chakra signatures in the direction of the wreckage, and he grimaced, "Naruto...Jiraiaya...what are you two doing?"

-ooOoo-

Jiraiya landed on a building close to the rubble of a once proud apartment complex. Tsunade stood ontop of the stone pieces, a smirk on her face, "Jiraiya, give it up. I'm only toying with you, you know."

Jiraiya grinned, "Always going all out, aren't you? Your temper reflects your fighting, you know that? I've never seen such poor aim before from you."

Tsunade growled, "That smart talk will be the death of you, pervert."

Jiraiya laughed as he went through a series of seal, and blasted out a plume of flames. Tsunade quickly dodged, and ran up the building Jiraiya was on. Jiraiya stopped his attack and turned to see Tsunade's fist coming to his face. He wouldn't be able to make it away in time...

Jiraiya was surprised to see a orange blur take out Tsunade, and a certain blonde haired idiot turned to face the Toad Sage, "Ero-sannin, what's taking you so long?! We need you in the central district!"

Jiraiya sighed, "I'm a little busy taking care of Tsunade, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, "So...she still has a decent control of her chakra, eh?" He turned to the destroyed building, and then to the said Hokage that was getting up.

"Naruto...stay out of this..." she said, with an almost forced tone of agression. She didn't want to involve the boy she still cared for.

Naruto merely shook his head, "Ero-sannin's my teacher, and even if he's a pervert, I won't let him fight alone."

"Naruto, I think that you should-"

"No, Ero-sannin, I'm not letting you get killed by a woman who has disgraced the Hokage title!" interrupted Naruto, and he turned to Tsunade with a hue of red in his irises.

Tsunade winced at the remark Naruto made towards her, "Naruto...that's not true..."

"Shut up!" Naruto snapped, and his teeth and nails grew, "A Hokage is supposed to _protect _people, not _kill_ them!"

Jiraiya said nothing, deciding to see if maybe Naruto could knock some sense into his old teammate.

Tsunade's features grew colder, "What do you know?! You weren't the one who was bitten and then had a flaming wall fall ontop of you while you were trying to escape!" she clenched her fists, "Naruto...you don't know half of what it's like to be an infected shinobi."

"Good, I don't want to!" Naruto replied back, "As far as I can tell, it kills the victims personality! The Baa-chan I knew would never have done this!"

Tsunade's face contorted. Shock, sadness, anger, and finally...some regret, "That's sort of true, Naruto. I'm no longer the same Tsunade you knew...I'm different now."

Naruto said nothing further, and instead created a shadow clone. He and the clone began to focus chakra into a spinning motion in Naruto's right palm, and eventually a Rasengan formed, "Goodbye, Baa-chan..."

Tsunade however, jumped into the air, and aimed a heel towards Naruto. Jiraiya jumped away as well as Naruto and his clone. Naruto held the Rasengan in one hand as he avoided a punch from the blonde haired Godaime Hokage. Jiraiya tried to deliver a kick to the woman, but instead was sent reeling back by a well placed back hand. He crashed into a nearby wall, and slowly got up to see Naruto charging at Tsunade with the Rasengan in hand.

"Rasengan!" Naruto cried out as he launched himself at Tsunade. She punched the ground around her, and sent a miniature shockwave throughout the area, and Naruto was rocketed backwards. He groaned in pain, and looked up to see Tsunade looking at him with a dissapointed frown and her arms folded in as though she was expecting better from him.

"Naruto, I'm giving you one last chance...give up and join us, or die." Tsunade spoke as she began to walk towards the disheveled blonde. Tsunade suddenly sprinted forward and delivered a knee to his gut. He found himself unable to breath for a few seconds, and eventually he got his body to start up again as he stood up a little more weary than before.

He grimaced as he faced the woman he once saw as a mother and a precious person. He had thought her to be dead only to meet her later on as a member and leader of the enemy. It hurt too much to think of it, so he focused on regaining his lost breath. He tasted some blood, but ignored it, and smiled, "You think...I'm going to...just give up on my friends...like they're are no longer worth my time? Heh, you must have really changed, Baa-chan, because I would never do that." Naruto's hands clenched into fists as he looked at Tsunade.

"Naruto..." Jiraiya said with a stern voice.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the blonde boy, and frowned, "Naruto...it's a shame...but I'm afraid you leave me with no choice." She slammed her fists into the ground, causing a fissure to crack the earth. Naruto lost his footing a little, which left Tsunade with the oppurtunity to strike. She formed a chakra scapel, and ran at the boy with a wild look in her eyes.

Jiraiya managed to avoid Tsunade's attack, but he suddenly saw the real purpose of the earth splitting manuever, "Naruto!"

Tsunade cocked back her fist, a greenish-blue chakra flaring around it. She killed all her emotions, and aimed for Naruto's heart. The blonde haired boy seemed to realized that he was finished. The Kyuubi could heal him, but not that quickly. A blow to the heart was still a lethal blow.

Naruto closed his eyes, and silently apologized to everyone he had failed. The sickening sound of a chakra scapel peircing a body was heard...yet Naruto felt nothing.

He opened one eye, and the sight before him caused him to gasp, "E-Ero...Ero-sannin??"

Jiraiya stood over Naruto, shielding him from Tsunade's chakra scapel. He was smiling, yet his body seemed to be quaking as though he was struggling to stay up. He coughed a bit, and laughed weakly, "Naruto...I'm sorry...that I couldn't...train you more..."

Tsunade, on the other hand, was shocked. Her hand remained imbedded in the Toad Sage's back, piercing his vitals with deadly force. She felt her breath hitch, but was even more suprised when she felt a pain coursing throughout her body. She looked at her stomach and abdominal area, and saw that Jiraiya had used his Needle Guardian technique to imbed his now sharpened hair into her body. She coughed, and felt crimson fluid running down her chin.

Naruto was heaving in air, trying to make the image before him go away, "B-Baachan...Ero-s-sannin...n-no..."

Jiraiya removed the jutsu on his hair, and Tsunade fell to the ground. Naruto held Jiraiya in his arms, tears falling freely now. He looked to see the Toad Sage smiling, "At least...I died...saving a hero..."

"Don't say that! You're gonna make it through this!" Naruto yelled through the tears. Oh, how much blood there was! Naruto turned to Tsunade, who's bleeding was also heavy and her breathing was labored.

"N-Naruto...I want you...to take this..." the Toad Sage whispered as he used all his strength to pull a scroll out of his pocket. He handed it to Naruto, "...that...will have all the answers and needs for you...I wrote it while we stayed in Suna...in case this would happen...it holds the directions to summoning all the scrolls I have, and the important key to controlling your seal...and other things..." he coughed a bit more blood out, "Naruto...I wish...that I had been not only a better teacher...but a better godfather as well..."

Naruto's eyes widened, and he felt his tears flow faster, "Wha-?"

"Your father...asked Jiraiya to be your godfather..." Tsunade said, a small smile on her lips, "I know you never met your mother or father...but they both loved you very much...so much that your mother struggled to give birth even after she was dying...so much that your father gave his life to protect the village on the night the Kyuubi attacked, and also place his trust in you to hold the burden of carrying the Nine-tailed fox..."

Naruto was shaking now...his dad was...no...that couldn't be right...could it?

"Yo-you mean...my father was...?"

Jiraiya smiled, "Yes...your father was Minato Namikaze...the Fourth Hokage."

Tsunade turned slowly to face Naruto, "Your mother's name was Kushina Uzumaki...she was from the Land of Whirlpool...you remind me so much of her."

"I still think he's more like his father..." Jiraiya spoke, feeling weaker every moment.

"Naruto..." came the voice of Tsunade, "I'm sorry...I never wanted it to be like this...I never even wanted this cursed infection...yet I tried to make things better for everyone, and as a result...failed miserably, and destroyed the last of humanity..." tears fell slowly from her cheeks.

Naruto went nearby to the fallen Hokage, "Tsunade-baachan...can't you heal yourself?"

Tsunade laughed, "No. The infection has lessened my chakra coils' control over my body...and even then, I don't have enough strength...I'm getting old..."

Jiraiya spoke again, "Naruto...you need to get the others out of the village..." he then pulled back his vest, and revealed a whole bunch of high-explosive paper bombs. Naruto's eyes widened, and Tsunade smirked.

"Always one to go out with a bang...huh?" Tsunade asked, recieving chuckle from her dying teammate.

Naruto got up, and felt his sorrow growing worse as he saw the two Sannin look at him, "I don't want to leave you two..."

"Naruto..." Tsunade spoke, tears in her eyes, "you have to. You're the last hope for your friends...no, the world. You're probably the only human that's immune to the infection. If you die, then so will the future of humanity..."

Naruto slowly got up, and looked at the two. He saw Jiraiya smiling and Tsunade crying with a grin on her face. They were looking real pale now. Naruto quickly kneeled down by the Godaime, and hugged her, "I love you, Baachan..."

Tsunade smiled, "I know, I know...I always saw you as family too." Naruto cried harder as she struggled to get an arm around him.

Naruto slowly broke away, then turned to Jiraiya. He forced a smile on his face, "Ero-sannin...I always looked up to you...despite what I may have said. You're the best teacher I ever had. To know that you knew my dad makes you even more precious to me now...I only wish I could help you."

Jiraiya laughed, "You can...stay alive, take care of the others, and become Hokage when the infection is stopped. Then marry Sakura and have a whole bunch of kids." Naruto blushed, and the Toad Sage laughed at the sight.

Naruto walked away, and upon hearing the screams of the infected, he turned to his two parent-like role models, "Goodbye..." and with that being said, he jumped off to meet with the others.

Jiraiya laughed a little as he turned to Tsunade, "So...you never wanted this the whole time, eh?"

Tsunade turned to look at him, "Yeah..."

Jiraiya strained to move a bit, "Tsunade...tell me...would I have ever had a chance with you when we were younger?"

Tsunade smiled a bit, "You do right now..." she reached out her hand, and smiled as he stretched out to hold it, "You've always been important to me, Jiraiya...even if I didn't show it very well..."

Jiraiya looked away, a sad smile on his face as he saw the infected coming towards him, "Well...I guess this is goodbye, then Tsunade..."

The dying Hokage smiled, and with the last of her strength, pulled the Sannin closer to her, and they shared an embrace that held the bond of over half a lifetime of friendship. She tried to fight down the tears as Jiraiya triggered his paper bombs, "Who says I'm leaving you...?"

Jiraiya chuckled, "So...I won't be getting rid of you when I go to the great beyond, huh?"

Tsunade smiled, looking at him, "Someone's got to keep an eye on you when you peep in on women in the afterlife..."

They said nothing after that, and only the shrieks of the infected and the hissing of the explosive tags could be heard. Regardless, the two dying Sannin never felt more at peace.

-ooOoo-

As an explosion shook the villlage, Naruto bit back the tears. He heard a few screams of death from behind him, and knew that Jiraiya had given him that for an escape. Naruto had to use every bit of will to not go back and slaughter every last one of those blood sucking bastards.

"It's Naruto!" came the voice of Sakura, and the entire group turned to meet the missing member of their group.

Kakashi walked to Naruto, "Is Jiraiya...?" Naruto nodded, and Kakashi's face drooped into a masked frown. He nodded, and then he turned to the group, "Allright, we need to get out of here, and fast. Deidara, how much more time?"

Deidara growled in frustration, "I only have two hands, un! Five more minutes!!!"

Sasuke turned to the direction of the smoke caused by the explosion, and activated his Sharingan, "Crap, we've got more coming that way." he went through a few hand seals, and then shouted, "Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"

The giant ball of flames went flying through the air towards the approaching enemies. Cries of pain and death filled the air, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Meanwhile, Asuma was using his trench knives to their fullest length with chakra molded around them so he had less of a risk of getting bitten. Shikamaru provided back up for the bearded nin by throwing kunai whenever possible. Only a handful of Sand nin remained, mostly Jounin and a few Chunin and Genin. The ANBU squads of Suna were all dead, having been the main group to take on the infected. Temari was trying to blow back any weapons or enemies while the others attacked the hordes of hunters.

"Lord Kazekage, they're attacking from all sides now!" came the reply of a Jounin. Gaara turned towards the direction of the Suna nin, and grimaced. This wasn't good at all. He shot another stream of sand towards the oncoming infected, knocking them away only to see more take their place.

Deidara continued preparing his clay, and after seeing another wave coming, tried to increase the pace of his clay making a bit more. If he failed, it was over for everyone...

Naruto was going mad with anger now. He already destroyed seven infected by Rasengans to the chest, and his temper was increasing. If one looked into his eyes they would see the familiar red of when Naruto was angered. He was fighting like a beserker, not caring if he was slashed at, since he would simply destroy the attacker shortly after. Any and all infected were now a target of a raging Naruto Uzumaki. They caused this mess, and they would pay for it ten fold.

Sakura was right by Naruto's side, fighting with her powerful chakra-enhanced taijutsu. Every now and then an infected shinobi would go careening into the air as she delivered kicks and punches with no mercy. She had a serious look on her face, and the smarter infected fighters knew enough to avoid the duo of Naruto and Sakura if they wanted to live.

Moegi and Hanabi were right next to Deidara, providing cover for the older man as he prepared his clay. The two had not fought any of the enemies yet, but they were ready.

Moegi looked anxiously to Deidara, "Deidara-kun, how much longer?"

Deidara looked at his hands, their mouths chomping at the clay. He could hear the shrieks and screams of the infected getting louder...he had to hurry.

Anko had managed to summon one of the larger snakes, and had it swatting away the vampiric enemies as she attacked from the top of the reptile's head. She threw another couple of kunai, and was pleased to see three infected fall, one of them dead. Nearby, Iruka was having his hands full guarding the Shizune, who had recieved a kunai to the thigh, and the wound was serious. She could heal it as long as she had time though, which Iruka was making sure she recieved.

"Yosh, they are not letting up their attack for a second, Tenten-chan!" Lee yelled as he kicked a Cloud nin into a group of infected. Tenten had summoned a ball and chain and was swinging it with relative ease and grace. Those unfortunate enough to get in her path recieved a rib crushing impact from her weapon.

"Just stay focused, Lee." she said as she threw a few kunai while pulling her ball and chain back to her.

Akamaru and Kiba were spinning in their famous 'Fang Over Fang' technique while Hinata was busy with a group that had foolishly surrounded her. She began to spin around, and used her Rotation to knock away the enemy. Even as she did this, more and more came. Hana and her hounds were tearing through the enemy as well, though not in the same fashion. She preffered having her hounds kill the enemy quickly and efficiently.

Kakashi had his Sharingan activated, and was dodging and countering like there was no tomorrow, which may very well be the case for the group. He pulled out a kunai, and slashed at a Grass nin's throat, killing the attacker before they hit the ground. He was getting weary, but he wouldn't quit until the bitter end. Jiraiya had taken out a good portion of the village, thus blocking a few pathways for the infected, thus buying the group time. He would _not_ give up on the group when they needed him most, Kakashi thought as he kicked a Rock-kunoichi square in the chin.

Finally Deidara noticed that his clay was ready, "I'm ready!" he shouted, and everyone fell back as he chucked about half a dozen birds of clay into the air. The birds expanded to large enough sizes to fit at least six to seven people. All the survivors quickly jumped onto the clay birds as they took off.

"That was close..." Shikamaru grumbled as he looked down at the screaming infected.

"It's not over yet..." spoke Gaara. He lifted his hands, and began to go through hand seals at a rapid pace. Everyone noticed that a wall of sand was building up around Suna.

"Gaara...?" came the uncertain voice of Temari, who was standing next to him on the back of the clay bird.

Gaara sighed, "I failed to protect this village...but I will not fail at destroying the enemy...not if I can help it." Gaara clapped his hands together, and the sand began to fill the rocky village like a mudslide. The cries of the numerous infected filled the air as they were buried alive. Some made it out though, but Gaara remained focused on the matter at hand. He growled a bit as he used more chakra, and caused the sand to crush in on itself, thus killing all those buried within the sand.

Gaara lowered his hands, and sighed. He lowered his head, and sat down on the back. Temari put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Gaara...you did what you could. Besides...we still have about twenty or so Suna nin with us..."

Gaara nodded, "Thank you...Neesan." he was quiet after that, and she knew it was best to leave him be for a little while. She looked on towards the now giant mound of sand, and dropped her head as well. Suna was no more.

About an hour later, the clay birds landed in a forested area in the northern area of the Suna-Ame border. They all made camp, and ate quietly. Sleep came shortly afterwards.

-ooOoo-

Naruto sat quietly as he watched the moon glow peacefully. He felt horrible...he lost two more precious people, and wasn't sure how many more he'd lose before this whole disaster was over...if it ever would end, that is.

Sakura had feed briefly, and gave him a kiss goodnight before she went into their twin sized sleeping bag. She had bought it during their stay in Suna, and it was decided that they would use the same bedding as they felt comfortable together. Right now though, he was feeling terrible. He wouldn't let Sakura know though...even if she already did.

"Yo." came the quiet voice of Kakashi. Naruto turned slowly, and nodded dully.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto greeted, and then turned to the moon again. Kakashi sighed, he knew that Naruto would rather chop off his own hand before telling others his problems. Therefore, Kakashi decided to take the matter into his own hands.

"Naruto...I've got all night, so tell me what's up." Kakashi spoke, taking a seat on the ground by his student.

Naruto frowned, "Kakashi sensei...have you ever felt like you were the cause of someone else's death? That you could have done more, and maybe saved them?"

Kakashi already was feeling that way, "Yes. I still do, too. I believe the first time was when my friend and teammate, Obito Uchiha, died."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, then a light seemed to go on in his mind, "Wait...is that why you-?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yes...before he died, Obito asked the medic nin on our team, Rin, to remove his undamaged eye and implant it into my damaged socket...I felt that if I had been a better teammate, maybe I could have stopped him from getting crushed by that boulder..."

Naruto didn't prod, just simply nodded in understanding, "I think that if I had been able to fight better, then maybe I could have kept Ero-sannin from taking a killing blow intended for me..."

Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder, "Naruto...I know how you feel, but I don't want you to blame yourself. Jiraiya was an honorable ninja, and he wanted to protect you."

"I-I know...but...but he...he was my...my godfather...a-and, then Baa-chan...s-she..." Naruto felt the tears that he had been holding back for the last couple of hours that night begin to fall, "T-then Ero-sannin tells me that t-the F-fourth Hokage...w-was my d-dad and that a woman n-named Kushina...Uzumaki...was my mom..." he didn't finish, and cupped his hands over his face, and began to cry.

Kakashi frowned, "Naruto..." he held onto the boy's shoulder, and felt the boy's shoulders shake as his body racked with sobs.

"I...I know that I should be happy...and I am...b-but another part of me feels so...so h-hollow now...my o-own father died to save the village...a-and my mother died giving birth to me...it makes m-me wonder if she would still have loved me i-if she w-were still alive..." Naruto continued crying, though his voice was quieter now.

Kakashi said nothing, not used to seeing Naruto like this. He knew about Naruto's fake smiles and the like, yet he never knew how Naruto felt about having no parents, and then to find out this...

"Naruto...it's okay to tell me about it." Kakashi said, not sure what to do as far as comfort. He had been alone most of his life, so comforting a friend or family member was not something he was used to.

Naruto looked to the Jounin, and let out a breath, "Right." Naruto began telling about how he felt like it was his fault that Ero-sannin died, because if he had been quicker, then maybe Tsunade wouldn't have killed Jiraiya, and she wouldn't have died in turn. He began to babble on about how no matter how strong he got, it was never enough. He went on about how he promised to protect Sakura, and that he wasn't even sureif he could do that right either. Then he talked about how Sasuke didn't listen to Naruto when he tried to get the Uchiha to come back to Konoha because he was too weak. Naruto was too weak for Sasuke to acknowledge.

Kakashi watched as Naruto poured out all his troubles from fifteen years of hurt in a single hour. In the end, Naruto was shaking with uneven breaths, and trying to fight the tears that still came.

Kakashi felt a bit of hurt as well for not seeing it sooner; the fact that Naruto was hurting so badly, "Naruto...you're _not _weak, and you're _not _alone. All of us here...we're a family now. We can all lean on each other for help...that's why being part of a team is so important for shinobi."

Naruto nodded, and then turned to the silver haired man, "Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yeah?"

The silver haired Jounin was caught off guard as Naruto gave him a hug. The kind a son gives his father when he's happy to see him, the kind a child gives a parent. It was more of a desperate cling than anything though. Naruto had very few people that were close to him, Kakashi was one of them.

Kakashi eventually put an arm around the blonde. In truth, Kakashi did see Naruto as family. The boy was the son of Kakashi's teacher, and the boy seemed to always have the power to make things less bleak. Kakashi was glad Naruto was so trusting of him.

"Sorry about that..." Naruto said, looking down to the ground, "...I just wanted to say-"

"It's okay, and you're welcome." Kakashi said with a nod, "Don't worry, Naruto. I won't go and tell Sakura and Sasuke about it. I know how hard it is being an orphan...but at least I knew my family for awhile..."

Naruto gave a weak smile, "You and Ero-sannin were the closest people I ever had to a real father."

"Oh? What about Iruka?"

Naruto laughed, "Iruka-sensei's more like an annoying big brother who knows what's good for you and nags you constantly." The two laughed a bit.

Naruto spent the rest of the night with his former sensei and father-like figure. He and Kakashi joked a bit, and told more about themselves then they had to anyone in a long time. Though it still hurt that Jiraiya and Tsunade were gone, he knew that somewhere up there in the stars, two more people were watching him.

-ooOoo-

The following morning, everyone was awake and ate a breakfast of fruit from around the area. The group had decided to leave in two seperate groups, and part ways, possibly forever. Gaara had insisted on going with the Suna nin, but they told him that he would be better with the group of Konoha survivors, since they were, in truth, stronger.

"Where will you be going then?" Temari asked the lead ninja, a Jounin.

The man sighed, "We're heading southward. The infection seems to be worse in the central area, and as we head further towards the coast, we hope to possibly find an island that was untouched. What about your group?"

Temari didn't answer, but instead looked towards one man, as did everyone else; Deidara.

"Well, I know of an abandoned hideout that my...associates...used during travel. It can hold about thirty people, if not more. It's in the mountain area of northern of Rain Country near the Earth Country border." Deidara replied with a nod to himself.

"Well, then we wish you luck. We'll try and keep in contact...I assume by doves as you suggested for the time being?" the Jounin asked.

Gaara nodded, "Yes, that will do for now. You are capable of summoning them, correct?"

"Yes, Kazekage-sama." the man replied.

So the groups gave their wishes of good luck and said their goodbyes. They then parted ways; one went southward, the other northward. Neither group knew what was in store for them, but they did know one thing for certain: They were now in danger of being wiped out by a threat that had toppled all of the five shinobi nations. Attacking wouldn't work against it, so hiding was in order.

They were now among the few...

**end of Chapter Nine- wooo! I'm finally to the point that I wanted to be at! Chapter nine is complete!!!! Feel free to give me compliments and rewards, lol. Anyway, this will be the turning point in the story. The nineteen surviving shinobi of the group Naruto's in will be trying to survive the infection now, so things may get pretty tough for them. Well, I won't be giving away any details, but I will say this: The group will become somewhat of a family overtime, lol. As for those of you who were surprised (and maybe appalled) by the scene of Naruto hugging Kakashi, please understand that Naruto has just gone through **_**alot**_** of emotional stress. Yes, it could have been Sakura, but I had Kakashi instead because I have always thought of the Copy-cat as a fatherly (if not big brother) like man in Naruto's life. If anyone remembers the one scene where Kakashi's sitting outside Naruto's window with a basket of veggies and fruits, it showed that Kakashi **_**is**_** concerned about Naruto's well-being, even if he rarely shows it. Not only that, but it was because Kakashi and Naruto both lived rather lonely lives. Sasuke did too, yes, but can you really see the two bonding like that...? Hm, I guess I could after they become good friends again, but not at this point. Anyway, here's chapter nine in all it's glory. Hope you enjoyed it.**

**A/N-Thanks to all those who kept me motivated and on the ball with updating (you know who you are). I still find it hard to realize that this idea actually got to be as popular as it is...so yeah. Thanks!!!**


	10. We Must Live On

**Disclaimer: If we all owned Naruto...man...the poor guy would be paired with every possible character...including himself possibly...good thing Naruto is not owned by me or the incredibly large group of fanfic writers..**

**Outbreak**

**Chapter Ten: We Must Live On**

Sakura looked ahead to what she assumed to be the border of Earth country and Rain Country. It was quite a breathtaking sight; large, vast mountain peaks stretching on for miles and miles were all she could see. The sky had a few sparse clouds floated over the vast earthen formations.

"It's...beautiful..." she spoke softly as the group set up camp. The days were getting shorter, and the sun was currently on its descending course.

"Yeah, brings back memories, un." spoke the voice of Deidara, who had taken a moment to look at the mountains as well, "Kind of funny, but I sort of miss it."

Sakura turned to the blonde man, "I always heard that Earth Country is a barren wasteland, so I never expected this."

Deidara nodded, "Well, in all fairness, Earth Country _is_ a bit of a wasteland; rain is sparse, and the soil is not very fertile. Only the hardiest of plants grow here, and growing crops is difficult. Most of the food we'll be eating here will be the wild game and anything from the local flora."

Deidara had given a brief explanation of what to expect when they reached the mountainous country. No one complained about the situation, well Shikamaru almost did, but Temari quieted him down shortly after. Needless to say, life would be tough for the group as they started getting adjusted to the land. They had another day of travel before they reached the hideout, and if the Inuzukas' hounds were right, the group had already passed by at least three potentially infected areas. They hadn't encountered any scents for about two hours though, so they decided to camp for the night by a cave.

Sakura began to feel lightheaded, and let out a groan. Deidara immediately turned to her, "Sakura, what's up? Do you need Naruto, un?"

Sakura gave a brief nod, "I haven't...fed in almost fourteen hours...I didn't want to slow down everyone or bother Naruto while we were traveling..." she began to crouch on the ground.

Deidara nodded, "Just hang tight, I'll go get him." the blonde haired man ran towards the camp to get the boy.

-ooOoo-

Naruto was helping cook some wild fowl that he and Kiba had found. Anko was adding some spices she had on her while Kiba and Hana were busy preparing some edible mushrooms and berries. It wasn't much, but it would suffice for the group of nineteen people. Currently, the people at camp were Deidara, Sakura, Naruto, Anko, Iruka, Hana, Kiba, Moegi, Asuma, Hanabi, Tenten, and Lee. Meanwhile, Kakashi, Asuma, Shikamaru, Temari, Shizune, Hinata, and Sasuke were about two minutes away from camp on scouting duty to see if there was any need to relocate.

"Naruto! Hey, Sakura needs you!" Naruto looked up from the fire to see Deidara calling him.

"Is she okay?" Naruto asked, getting up from his spot by the fire.

"I hope so...it's...well, it's time for you to feed her..." Deidara spoke quietly, and Naruto nodded before heading towards Sakura.

When the blonde Jinchuuriki arrived, he found Sakura kneeling with a small trail of saliva running from her mouth, "Sakura-chan! I'm here!"

Sakura looked up with her eyes fully dilated. She gave a small sigh of relief, "Oh...h-hey, Naruto...do you mind if I...?"

Naruto was already cradling her as he sat against a rock with her in his lap, "Sakura-chan, you _know_ you don't need to ask me. I'm here for you, so don't worry about it."

She nodded weakly before moving her mouth to his neck and biting it gently with her fangs. She took in the fluid with a strange sense of joy and felt the hunger and dizziness begin to subside a little. She felt Naruto pull her a little closer, and slowly make circles in her back with his fingers. She gave out a soft moan as he briefly gave her a few kisses down her neck before letting her resume her feeding.

"Naruto..." she whispered as she continued her ritual. After about another two minutes, she slowly lifted her face to look at him. Naruto, much to his surprise, found it cute to see a small amount of his blood on her lips when she gave him a small smile.

Naruto smiled back before giving Sakura a serious look, "Sakura, why didn't you come to me sooner?"

She looked down with a guilty frown, "Well...we were traveling quite a ways, and I didn't want to slow us-"

"Sakura...you're not just part of a team now; we're a family...in a way. We stay together, and we can wait four or five minutes so you can get what you need," Naruto grabbed her hand gently and put it over his already healing puncture marks on his neck, "Remember what I said about your new need for blood; I will be the one to supply you with that need. I will give you that blood." Naruto finished with a cheerful grin.

Sakura sighed, and thought how she had ever been so lucky to score such a wonderful and loving man in her life, "Naruto, you don't know how much of a help you are to me. I'm not just talking about the blood either. You're a sweet and caring guy, and I couldn't ask anything more from you than what you've given me."

Naruto laughed, "Aw, I'm just doing what's right Sakura." he stared into her emerald, slit-like eyes, "You do mean alot to me to me though...and I'm glad you think that way about me."

Sakura nuzzled against his chest, "You know...you're alway real warm..." she closed her eyes, "You make a great blanket..." she slowly creeped a hand under his jacket and shirt, and hid a mischevious smile from the boy.

"Ah...um, S-Sakura-chan...uh..." poor Naruto was too flustered to form a complete sentence as the pink haired kunoichi slowly moved her hand up and down his pectorals. He was blushing a bright red now.

"Shhh...just relax...we'll head back in just a few minutes..." she began to plant kisses on his neck, and he shuddered at the touch.

The sound of snickering was heard, and the two ninja turned to see Kiba Inuzuka standing behind them holding back laughter. Sakura's face darkened, and she let out a growl as the Inuzuka laughed, "Hey, lovebirds...dinner's ready..."

"K-i-b-a," Sakura ground out, cracking her knuckles, and Kiba backed away a bit as Akamaru whimpered at the sudden killer intent being radiated from the pink haired girl.

"H-hey, don't go and get angry at me. Besides, you two are sharing watch with Gaara, Lee, Shizune, Tenten, Asuma, and Hanabi tonight. We don't really need eight people to continually watch over the camp, so you guys should be able to..." he left the sentence up in the air, and Sakura seemed to calm down.

"Well, I'm hungry, how about you, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked the girl, and she simply huffed out a breath before nodding and walking to camp. Naruto gave Kiba a look on the lines of 'you're lucky', and 'next time call out before you look for us'.

-ooOoo-

Dinner was for the most part decent. Aside from Moegi getting a stomach ache from the berries she ate, everyone was fine with the meal. Sakura did a quick treatment for the redhead and told her not to eat anything else tonight. As the sun set, everyone went into the cave except for the eight in charge of watch duty. It got a little colder as the sun descended, and eventually the only light was from the moon and stars and the dying embers of the fire.

"It sure is a beautiful night, don't you agree, Tenten?" Lee asked as the two sat over a small overhang that was near the cave.

"Yeah, I always liked the nightime when we were on missions." the weapon mistress replied. She had put on a light jacket to compensate for the cold. Luckily enough she had the foresight to pack a few extra things in her scrolls when she first heard about the infected approaching Suna those couple of days back. Naruto also brought some emergency rations in one of his scrolls, and Shizune brought her medical kits in one of her scrolls. Needless to say, though they were roughing it, they had all they needed.

"Tenten...how long do you think we will have to remain in hiding?" Lee asked quietly as the two sat down on the cold ground.

"No clue, Lee...but I know that Deidara said the hideout was almost undetectable to even the most talented of shinobi. We should be safe once we reach it..." Tenten answered with a shrug.

Lee nodded, and turned to look at the girl next to him. She had definitely grown in the past couple of years since they had first been made a team. He still remembered her being the girl with her hair tied into buns that was good at throwing weapons, but also had horrible endurance. In the past month she had improved her close combat skills and her strength, thanks in no small part to the boy next to her. In turn, Tenten had helped Lee only further increase his speed and dodging abilities by practicing her projectile throwing on him. The two had become close friends and were now a force to be reckoned with.

"Hey...Lee...?"

"Yes, Tenten?"

Tenten felt a small blush creep onto her face, "Um...I know that you're birthday's coming up in another month...and even though we're kind of at a constraint as far as shopping...is there anything you want for your birthday?"

Lee gave her a surprised look, "Well, now that you mention it, Tenten, I never actually thought about that. I never really had anyone besides you, Neji, and Gai-sensei to celebrate my birthday with..." Lee gave her a sad smile. She understood, being an orphan herself.

"Yeah...I was just wondering if you had anything you wanted for a present." she replied, feeling foolish all of the sudden about asking such things.

Lee seemed to notice her change of mood, "Tenten...I have always been happy with what I possess in my life. If anything...you could help me continue to become stronger, and improve yourself as well. That would be a great gift..." he paused to smile, "I also wish for us to always be there for each other..." he wanted to say something a bit different to her, but he figured it may come out wrong. He never was that smooth when it came to the opposite gender,at least he seemed to believe it that way. Sure, he would act all protective and brave around them, but he was in fact well aware of how foolish that was. At least, he had realized that being the case shortly after he tried to win over Sakura's affection back when they were still Genin. He was wiser now...he knew what not to do, just didn't know what _to do_...

Tenten smiled, "You sure that's all you want, Lee?" she giggled a bit upon seeing a light blush cross his face. She couldn't help but flirt with him, and loved how he stiffened when she placed a her hand on his.

"Um, y-yes, that would be fine, Tenten-chan." he didn't remove his hand from her, and the close proximity of her next to him was causing him to turn redder.

Tenten decided enough was enough. She may as well say it while she had the courage to, "Lee...I was wondering..." she looked down to the ground, "...what do you think about me...?"

Lee felt himself breaking into a sweat, "W-what do I think about you?" he repeated, and looked to see Tenten nod rather quickly. Now, Lee wasn't a genius, well he was a genius of hard work, but not a prodigy. He did, however, know when Tenten was troubled by something. He didn't need to have an IQ like Shikamaru in order to understand where this was going. Maybe this would work out for him after all, "I think you are a very proud kunoichi with a strong sense of duty. You are also intelligent, and have a very caring personality in my opinion. Regardless of how troubling your friends can be, you continue to look out for them." he paused for a moment to think of what to say next. Sometimes he wished that his mind had better ways of conveying words, but it was now or never he supposed, "You are also a very beautiful woman, and I believe that regardless of how many other charming women there are in this world, you stand out among them in your own way."

Tenten felt herself blush a bit, but she frowned too, "Please...Temari, Hinata, and Sakura are much more beautiful and talented than-"

"Nonsense!" Lee interrupted, a stubborn frown on his face, but it turned into a grin when he spoke again, "Tenten, you are the kindest girl I have ever meet. You always looked out for my well being when we were on missions, and while I do recall that you were a bit tough on me at times, in the end it always helped me. As for beauty, there are many things about you that are beautiful. For instance, you have charming brown eyes that express just how caring and kind of a girl you really are. Those dimples you have whenever you smile are so youthful too! You also have very womanly figure...I mean..." Lee mentally slapped his forehead. He blew it now, "I am sorry...I did not mean to say that...I hope I did not offend-" he was stopped when a single index finger met his lips. He looked at Tenten to see her grinning at him, dimples and all.

"Lee...it's okay. I don't mind the fact that you like my figure...I know you didn't mean in _that _way. However," she looked at him with an expression he wasn't quite sure he had seen her give him before, "Do you _actually _find me attractive in that way as well?"

Lee was wide-eyed; since when was Tenten so bold with her words? Part of him was panicking, he never had this kind of conversation with a girl, let alone Tenten. Another part though, wanted to declare it to the world, "Uh...well..." Lee felt his face heat up a bit, "Yes..."

Tenten smiled at the boy in green. He was indeed a true gentleman despite his many quirks and mannerisms, and she respected the fact that he wanted to show her respect and not overstep boundaries with her. However, a part of her wished he would. The past couple of weeks had Tenten seeing Lee differently. He was indeed a handsome young man. While his haircut was atrocious, and his outfit was a fashion nightmare, but she easily overlooked it. It was what made Lee who he was, she thought.

Her thoughts began to drift towards his well-scultped figure, but she quickly shook out those thoughts. She wouldn't deny that despite his outfit and outer appearance, he probably had a well toned body. Still, thoughts drifting in that direction for her may make her do things that she would later regret...for now. She instead wrapped an arm around him as she looked into his eyes, "Lee...?"

"Y-yes, Tenten?" he stuttered.

She kissed him on the cheek, though unlike the one she gave him before when they were in Suna, this one lasted a bit longer, "You really know how to treat a girl nicely. Keep it up, and I may end up falling for you." she was teasing him in a way; she had already been falling for him for almost a month now.

Lee laughed nervously, "Hahaha, well, I am only speaking the truth, Tenten. You _are _a beautiful kunoichi!"

Tenten hugged the boy and she felt him stiffen again. She giggled, "Lee, don't be so nervous around me. I'm just hugging you."

Lee nodded, and he felt Tenten lean her head against his chest. She wanted to stay like this, but then she remembered why they were out here. She sighed to herself; sometimes she wished that her sense of duty wasn't so strong.

"Well, I suppose we should go back to keeping watch, eh?" the brown haired girl asked. Lee nodded, and the two began to patrol the area. Tenten couldn't help but feel a grin spread on her face. She felt a little less hopeless being a survivor of an epidemic while she walked alongside Lee. She felt a hand enclose hers, and she looked to see that Lee was holding her hand as they walked. Tenten felt her heartbeat quicken a bit, and she gave Lee's hand a gentle squeeze. He smiled as they continued to walk around the area. They were not patrolling all that well; they wouldn't deny it.

"Thank you, Lee..." she spoke quietly as they continued with their 'watch'.

-ooOoo-

The horizon was starting to brighten when Gaara opened his eyes. He had gone into a state of mild unconciousness so he could get some rest while still maintaing some sort of connection with his surroundings. He gave an uncharacteristic yawn, and stood up. He was sure that everyone on watch had fallen asleep, so he figured he would wake them.

The former leader of Suna walked quielty through the rocky terrain, and came upon the sleeping forms of Hanabi and Shizune. Both were in their sleeping bags, and looked like they had been sleeping for maybe only a few hours.

"Shizune-san. Hanabi." Gaara said in a loud enough voice to stir the two kunoichi from their slumber. They both instinctively went for their weapons' pouch, but noticed Gaara standing their calmly.

"Oh, good morning, Gaara." Shizune said while covering a yawn with her hand. Hanabi stood up and did a few stretches to get her muscles moving, and after about a minute, she was done.

"Did anything happen last night?" Hanabi asked as she began to roll up her sleeping bag. Gaara shook his head, and she merely nodded as she continued to do so.

Shizune was packed up and gave another yawn, "I suppose I'll go wake up Naruto and Sakura." She then headed over to the eastern side of the cave where the two were located. When she arrived, she couldn't help but laugh quietly at the sight before her. There in the twin size sleeping bag was Sakura sleeping with her head nestled in the crook of Naruto's neck. The two had their arms wrapped around each other, and Shizune almost regretted having to wake up the two.

"Naruto...Sakura...wake up." Shizune said in a quiet voice. Sakura groaned a bit before nuzzling against Naruto a bit more, and in turn Naruto seemed to hold her a little tighter. Shizune couldn't hold back the laughter anymore, and went into a fit of giggling. Sakura opened one eye, and after blinking a few times, looked to see Shizune giving her a smile. Sakura immediately blushed, realizing the predicament she was in. She wasn't ashamed of sleeping in the same sleeping bag; the entire group knew the two were a couple now. It was just...embarassing.

"Morning, Shizune." came the quiet voice of Sakura, and she gave a blushing smile, "Sorry...we kind of got tired...and Naruto happens to make the world's best pillow." she said as she yawned, showing her slightly pointed canines.

Shizune nodded, "Make sure you two get back to the cave in time for breakfast. We'll be leaving in an hour." Sakura nodded as the older medic nin headed over to wake up Asuma. Sakura gently nudged Naruto, and he groaned as he seemed to roll over, pulling Sakura closer as well. She sighed, and pinched his cheek a bit. He frowned a bit, and opened his eyes.

His frown immediately turned into a smile, "Sakura-chan...is it morning already?" he asked, and she nodded, "I don't want to get up yet..." he admitted.

"That's fine. I need to feed anyway. Just relax for awhile." she said as she nipped his neck, and began to feed again.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto said as he noticed his jacket was missing, "I don't recall taking off my jacket at all last night."

Sakura stopped momentarily, "Heheh, sorry, I got cold during the middle of the night, and I figured you wouldn't mind me borrowing it." Indeed, Naruto looked to see his black and orange jacket on her, "It's really comfortable." she finished, and then resumed her feeding.

Naruto smiled, and pulled Sakura even closer, "You know, orange looks good on you, Sakura-chan."

Sakura didn't stop feeding, but she did lift a finger to flick him in the forehead with her index finger. She didn't put any strength in it, deserving only a small "Ow!" from the blonde.

-ooOoo-

The group nineteen shinobi were now sitting eating some fruit that a few clones of Kakashi and Naruto had gathered, and the got water from a nearby spring. It wasn't a great meal, but they had to eat quickly. If they wanted to avoid any risk of being found or spotted when they reached the hideout, then they had to make it to the halfway point before sunset.

Hana was eating an apple when one her dogs began sniffing the air. Her other two soon followed, as did Akamaru. As if by instinct, Kiba and her did likewise. Hana smelled something, but she wasn't quite sure what it was. Kiba, however...

"...No way..." he got up, and looked to Akamaru, who barked. Everyone was quiet now, watching the two, "Are you sure, boy?" Akamaru gave another bark, and Kiba couldn't help but grin like a kid who heard that their birthday was coming early. He turned to Hinata, and laughed, "Hinata...you're not going to believe this!"

Everyone was interested in what the Inuzuka was talking about, "What is it, Kiba-kun?" asked the elder Hyuuga sister.

Kiba smiled wider, "I think Shino and Kurenai-sensei are nearby."

Silence...

"Wha-what?" Hinata said, and she felt herself trembling, "A-are you sure?" her face was forming into a hopeful smile, and Kiba nodded.

Asuma, on the other hand, had let the cigarette in his mouth fall out. He was not believing what was being said, "Kiba...where is the scent coming from?"

Kiba sniffed a bit, as did the other dogs and Hana. Hana, seemed to pinpoint it, however, "Southeast...no more than half a mile at most...I don't detect any scent of blood or other giveaways of them being infected either."

Asuma was standing up, and looked to Kiba and Hinata, "We should go get them."

Kakashi, being the ever-so-careful man, stood up and put a hand on his friend, "Hold up, we'll go as a group. This could be an ambush."

Asuma frowned at him, but nodded, "Right."

The others quickly gathered their weapons, and followed the dogs and the Inuzuka siblings towards who they hoped to be two more comrades.

-ooOoo-

Two figures jumped up a small ledge, and one of them paused to catch their breath. The other in turn stopped, "Kurenai-sensei...are you allright?"

Kurenai Yuuhi was breathing a little harder than a kunoichi her age should; then again, considering what she was carrying, it was understandable, "I'm okay, Shino...just need a minute..." she stood up and put a hand behind her back, showing the slight swelling in her stomach. Being a few months pregnant would do that to a woman, she thought. She wouldn't be able to keep up this rate of speed for no more than a few weeks before she would have to go at a casual pace. Usually pregnant kunoichi were allowed, at best, to continue duty for three months into pregnancy, after that, they were given maternal leave until at least two months after giving birth. Kurenai was just about four months into her preganancy, and she was lucky to be able to continue this pace. She had her student to thank for her being alive though. The Aburame boy had been with her since the Hidden Leaf was attacked, and had been by her side since then. Apparantly attacking infected hosts didn't affect his kikaichu beetles, so he was able to attack with relative ease should they ever get ambushed.

Shino was the sole heir to the Aburame clan now. His clan had been part of the main attack squad, seeing as their beetles were immune to infection for reasons unknown. Things went bad though after the first month, and the Aburame had been losing their already small clans members at a fast rate. An interesting fact about the Aburame was that if a member was dying, they could command their bugs to become part of another Aburame's collection of bugs. As a result, Shino had almost five times as many beetles with him now then when he had first helped defend the vilage. Since they fed on his chakra he could only endure so much depletion before it was harmful. He therefore carried the gourd his father once carried that served as a hive for the other beetles. He also still had his own hive case, and he was now carrying a large amount of weight on him. Still, he was carrying what remained of his clan...including his father.

Shino suddenly lifted a finger, and a small bug landed on it. He brought his hand to his hooded face, and Kurenai saw him raise his eyebrows behind his sunglasses, "You are certain of this?" he was talking to the beetle. The beetle seemed to move its antennae, and Shino nodded, "Good work. Call the others back, I'll send a new swarm out." the beetle flitted off, and after a few minutes, a vast cloud of beetles returned to him. He raised his hands and they crawled into his jacket. After they were all back, he uncorked his gourd, and a different swarm flew out. A few landed on him while more flew off in different directions.

Kurenai and Shino began walking again, "What's the news, Shino?"

Shino pushed his glasses up, "I do believe there are survivors from Konoha out here. My bugs have confirmed that they are not infected...and among them are Hinata and Kiba."

Kurenai's eyes lit up, "Seriously?" Shino nodded, and she went to her knees, feeling a weight fall off her shoulders. She never did find out what happened to her two students, and to hear this was some of the most wonderful news she had recieved from the quiet boy in almost two months.

"They are coming are way, so we should just stay here. No need for you to do more work than necessary, Kurenai-sensei." Shino added, and Kurenia sighed.

"Shino, I told you that I'm fi-"

"I'm sure you are, but I don't want Asuma to worry about you overexerting yourself...he is probably worried about you, seeing as you two were assigned to different parts of the village during the attack." Shino interrupted, and Kurenai stood up.

"Asuma's there too?" Shino nodded, and she grabbed a hold of the boy and hugged him. Shino was confused, since Kurenai was not one to show affection like that very often...at least not to her students. She was mumbling something around the lines of 'thank the heavens' or something like that. He let her do her thing; she was pregnant, and didn't want to be on the bad side of one of her mood swings.

"Shino, I think things are finally starting to look up for us." she said as she heard the distinct sound of dogs barking.

-ooOoo-

Asuma was running right beside Kiba when he noticed the two figures of Shino Aburame and Kurenai Yuuhi. He increased speed, and within in seconds was holding the genjutsu specialist within his arms, "Kurenai." he held her close, and was thanking whatever gods above for her being alive.

"Asuma, I thought you were-"

"I know, Kurenai...I couldn't find you, and didn't have the chance to look for you further without risking attack." Asuma said and he threw his cigarette to the ground. Shikamaru noticed this, and then noticed the slightly larger abdomen of his female companion. He put two and two together, and smiled. Asuma was going to be a father.

Kakashi walked up to the group, "Kurenai, Shino, it's good to see you two. How did you to manage to get this far?"

Kurenai and Shino related a bit on how they stayed in a village in Grass Country for about three weeks, and left when word got around of the infection spreading. They lived off of the land, and Shino kept a _very_ close eye on Kurenai with his numerous beetles. Needless to say, they only encountered a small group of wandering infected, and Shino took care of them with relative ease.

Asuma walked up to the bug user, and extended his hand, "Shino...I owe you a lot. You kept Kurenai safe and stayed with her. I don't know how to repay you for her safety."

"No need to thank me, Asuma-sensei. It was merely what a shinobi should do for a former teacher." Shino took the mans hand and shook it briefly before putting it back in his pocket.

The group had told briefly of all that had happened in the months after Konoha fell to the infected, then they continued there movement northeast. Kurenai was tired, so Kiba had Akamaru carry her once they got going. The traveling was halted for a quick lunch and so Sakura could take care of herself with Naruto. Shino was a bit on guard when he found out about Sakura's condition, but he let it go after seeing how she didn't seem to have changed in behavior at all. Kurenai was not too worried either, seeing as she had been with the group the whole time.

Naruto also had to once again explain his predicament to Shino about how he was 'immune' to the infection. Shino was, much to his surprise, acceptant of this. He told Naruto that he still saw the blonde as a comrade, and that he would continue to show the same respect he always had to him. Kurenai simply nodded, having been aware of this information long before any of the younger generation did.

It was getting close to sunset when Deidara held up a hand, and the group stopped near the edge of a large mountain, "We're here." spoke the blonde haired man.

Hanabi and Hinata instinctively activated their Byakugan, and noticed several tags near a certain section of the large rock formation, "Are those...?"

Deidara nodded to Hanabi's question, "Sealing tags...prevents any chakra from being leaked out of the hideout...that way, we can't be detected." he went up to the rock, and did several handseal; ushi, uma, mi, ne, i, tori, inu, tori...

A click was heard, and the a section of the rock moved back and slid to the side, revealing a narrow corridor in the rock. Deidara took a quick look around, then nodded. He lead the group inside, and then turned back to the opening and yelled, "Kai!" the wall slid back in place, and the corridor was darkened again, aside from the sparse torch lighting the hall.

"I don't know if any of the other members are here, so be on your toes, un." the other twenty ninja nodded, and stepped down the hall quietly.

Soon they were in a large cavern, and several other halls could be seen in various parts of the open area, leading to different rooms and chambers. Deidara nodded, and looked around. He went to a wall, and clicked on a switch. A few lights flickered on, and the area became illuminated by the soft glow of the lighting.

"Where are we?" Tenten spoke, looking around the area with a look most of the younger shinobi had as well.

"This," Deidara said with open arms, refering to the chamber, "is base number seventeen. We used it quite a bit back when we first started out, but it's been used only twice in the last five years. Suprising too, since it's the biggest one we have. Thirty rooms within the six floors, three dojos, a courtyard south in a small open area that was the pit of the now inactive volcano, and a small spring too. We have electricity running through here, and running water too. Don't worry about showers being too cold; there's apparantly a hot spring under us as well. That's just a few of the things here."

Everyone was quite surprised by this, seeing as they had been living it rough for awhile now. The sound of a hot shower was quite appealing right now.

The group was about to follow Deidara when three small white blurs hit the ground before the group. Upon closer inspection, the group noticed the projectiles were shuriken made of...paper. Deidara snapped his head upwards to a balcony looking over the chamber only to see a woman wearing a simple outfit with a netshirt under it. She had remarkably blue hair, and a paper flower in her hair. She jumped down from the balcony, and upon closer inspection one could see she had a Hidden Rain hitai-ite around her neck with a slash running across it. Her lower lip also had a small piece of jewelry pierced through it. Her expression was blank, and her eyes narrowed when she looked at Deidara, "What are you doing here, Deidara? Akatsuki is no longer existent."

Deidara smiled in a somewhat cocky manner, "Konan-chan, it's been too long, un." this recieved a cut from a piece of paper that cut his cheek, "Hey, easy, un! We haven't been followed anyway. We needed a place to live, and this was our only choice within our range that was safe." Deidara rubbed the cut with a grunt of annoyance. She sure had a quick temper, despite her usual unexpressionless voice.

Konan took a good look among the group, and stopped as she looked at five members; Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura. She then spoke calmly, "Kakashi Hatake; also known as Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye, and the Copycat Nin. Well known in all the Bingo Books, and an ex-ANBU captain. Sasuke Uchiha, sole clan member of the Uchiha that lived through the massacre discluding Itachi Uchiha. Possessor of the Sharingan, and a defector of the Leaf...and was training under Orochimaru from what I last heard. Sakura Haruno...the only shinobi to have killed one of our members of Akatsuki, Sasori of the Red Sands. A talented medic-nin that was trained under Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage." Konan's eyes seemed to flicker a bit as they settled on Naruto, and it sent a shiver down his spine, "Naruto...Uzumaki...container of the Nine-tailed Fox. Had been training under Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin for the past three years...considered to be a very dangerous enemy when angered, and has been able to obtain up to four tails of the Kyuubi while in battle."

Kakashi took a step forward, "So...are you saying that you're not going to let us stay?" To this, Konan simply shook her head.

"That would be unnecessary, as there is plenty of space here. I'm simply curious as to why Deidara is here. Besides, we aren't enemies anymore, since Akatsuki is no longer an organization." she turned around and headed down one of the larger corridors, "You all must be hungry. Come, there is plenty of food to eat in our dining chambers."

The group all took a look at her, then to Deidara, who shrugged, "She never was that mean of a woman. She kept to herself, but she did her part in the group as well."

Dinner was actually nice. They had a roasted pheasant, and several assortments of vegetables and fruit. Konan had been living alone for the past month, seeing as Amegakure was overrun with the infected now. When asked about the leader, she simply stated that she had thought him to be dead, and that she had left shortly after he dissapeared.

-ooOoo-

Naruto was sitting in the courtyard of the chambers now. The place was actually just a very deep crater with a large circumference as well. There were a few small shade loving plants in the area, and some grass that grew well in darkened areas. The moon was visible in the sky above, and the stars twinkled peacefully as he sat on the grass. Naruto brought a small lamp with him, and decided to open the scroll that Jiraiya had given him before he died...

_Naruto,_

_If you're reading this, then it means one of two things; either one, I'm dead, or two, you stole it from me and I'm going to beat you up for doing so later. Either way, what I have written here is my last great work possilby: a scroll that holds everything I know and learned in my entire lifetime as a shinobi. Not only that, but it contains a few remnants your parents wanted to leave with you, including a photo album, and a letter from you father. _

_Now, before you go and read through all this at once, I want you to listen to what I'm about to say; don't read it all at once. I know you're tough, but reading so many personal things about the family you never knew may be too much for you. Take your time, and treasure it. Along with that, try and learn a few of the jutsu I invented. As for Fuuinjutsu...well, you may need Kakashi's help with that. I wrote them down, but unless you have some understanding of seals, learning my sealing techniques could prove to be difficult._

_As for Kakashi, I talked to him about this scroll. He has an extra, just in case. It doesn't contain all the personal stuff that this one does, but it does hold most of the same information on techniques that are contained in this scroll as well as a lot of information on your heritage. Kakashi is, as of now, the only living person who met your father and knew him on a personal level. Talk to him when you can about your family; he will be happy to tell you anything he can. Now, don't go and blame Kakashi for not telling you sooner about this. He was in a way protecting you. Your father, Minato, had quite a large list of enemies, and if word got out that you were his son, I'm sure that Iwa would have sent several platoons to Konoha to kill you years ago._

_Well, aside from your reading up on my jutsu and the items of your family, I want you to look into getting familiar with using the key that controls your seal on the Kyuubi. Regardless of how strong your will is, Naruto, the seal does weaken, and needs to be tweaked every so often. I have the instructions written near the end of this scroll._

_Naruto, I want you to know that you have always been a student I have been proud to teach. You and your father have made my life as a shinobi worth while. My only regret was that I never got around to teaching you sooner in life, and getting to know you better as a family member. I hope you can find it in you to overlook this. Please remember, no matter what happens, you are a great and talented shinobi, with the potential to become greater than the Yondaime, your father. Live life as best as you can, my godson, and remember this; the Will of Fire burns brightest in those who protect those they care about. May you live your days to the fullest, Naruto._

_-Jiraiya_

_P.S- I have the entire series of Icha Icha sealed inside both this scroll and Kakashi's. You may not want them now, but save them for the others and for the future possibly. Trust me, you'll thank me someday for it._

Naruto was feeling some tears prick his cheek, and he laughed, "Stupid Ero-sannin..." he looked to a seal on the scroll that had the label, 'album' next to it. Naruto applied some chakra to it, and a small red photo album popped into existence. Naruto opened it after rolling up the scroll, and smiled as he saw the first page contained a picture of Jiraiya with Sarutobi, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. Despite the fact that the Snake Sannin was in the picture, Naruto was happy to see the familiar faces of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the Old Man. He then looked to see Jiraiya with his own team, and Naruto felt tears fall down his cheek as he looked to see his father in the picture. They really did look alike. He turned the page and saw a picture of his mother wearing a standard Chunin vest of a foreign color with a swirl on her forehead protector. It must have been a picture of her back in her home country, he thought. She had really beautiful red hair, and the way she was posing for the camera was something he felt a familiarity with. She was giving the camera a 'peace' symbol with her two fingers while grinning like there was no tomorrow. Naruto saw what Tsunade seemed to see Naruto have in common with his mother.

Half an hour later found Naruto sitting on the grass with a sad grin on his face as he looked at a picture of his mother and father holding each other while smiling at the camera. His dad had the same cheesy grin Naruto often gave, and his mother was smiling too while she had one hand resting on her large belly. She looked to be almost at the end of her pregnancy, Naruto noticed.

"Mom...Dad..." Naruto saw a few drops hit the picture, and he closed the book. He felt a cool wind hit him, and he shivered. His mood was a mixture between depression and joy; he finally got to see his family in photos...yet realized just how much he never had. Naruto was by no means a greedy boy...but he sometimes wished he could have seen his dad and mother, if only once.

Naruto was huddled in the middle of the grassy floor now, and felt a presence near him. He reached for a kunai, but then heard a voice that that brought his spirits up almost immediately, "Naruto...? What are you doing out here?"

"Oh...hey, Sakura-chan..." Naruto still had some sadness in his voice, and Sakura sensed his irregularity in mood almost immediately. She sat down next to him, and leaned on his shoulder, "You want to talk?"

Naruto smiled at her, and handed her the photo album, "Ero-sannin left it in a scroll for me. He said it holds pictures of my mother and father..."

Sakura slowly opened the pages, and flipped through them carefully. She immediately recognized the handsome face of the Yondaime Hokage along with a red haired woman who was very beautiful. Sakura suddenly stopped, and looked to Naruto. It all clicked into place at that moment.

"Oh...Naruto..." she said with a frown. She set down the book, and immediately embraced her boyfriend with a warm hug. She felt him silently heave in and out, and felt her neck become wet with tears, "Naruto...that explains a lot..." she wrapped around him tighter, and the two were eventually lying down in a warm embrace.

Naruto was teary eyed, and the scene was causing Sakura to tear up too. He had endured _so much_ and now he finds out this? She put a hand on his cheek, softly brushing over his whisker marks. He let out a breath, "Ero-sannin and Baa-chan told me about them before they died."

Sakura smiled sadly, "Well, you come from a very honorable man...and that explains why you turned out to be such a sexy guy yourself." Naruto chuckled a bit as she moved closer and let him wrap around her, "Naruto...you really are special...and not because of the Kyuubi." she looked up at him, and a soft grin was on her lips, "You are by far the most caring , loving boy I have ever met. You never seem to run out of room in your heart for others, and are always able to take time out of your life for those you care about..." she leaned in closer, "...that's why I think I love you so much." she kissed him lightly on the lips, and he sighed as she pulled back.

"Sakura-chan...I-"

She stopped him by kissing him again, "Shh...not now. Right now, I want you to relax, okay? This time is for you to relax, and not worry about anything but that for now." she gave him one more brief peck on the lips, "I love you, and you mean the world to me. Just remember that..."

Naruto nodded with a tired yawn, and slowly fell asleep in Sakura's arms. She said nothing as he snored lightly. She pulled out a blanket she brought with her, and threw it over the two of them. Someone would wake them up. For now though, she was going to stay here with Naruto. She owed him _at least_ that much, she thought as she slowly dozed off.

-ooOoo-

Kakashi stood at the entrance of the courtyard, smiling lightly under his mask at the sight of his two students holding each other as they slept. He would talk to Naruto tomorrow, he thought. As he turned to go back inside, he thought back to the day he first met Team Seven. So much had changed since that day...and yet...he wasn't saddened by that. Kakashi slept better than he had in weeks that night.

-ooOoo-

Two figures darted through the southern woods of Fire Country, shadows being their cover as they ran at speeds only known by shinobi of the highest calibre. They stopped briefly, and the taller of the two whispered to the shorter one.

"What's up, Itachi?" asked the shark-toothed man as he stood on the branch behind his companion. Kisame knew that Itachi wouldn't have stopped without any reason.

"We should rest here." Itachi spoke as he sat at the base where the branch met the tree itself. Kisame nodded, and took his own branch as well. Fire Country was littered with infected, they were not safe anywhere really, but at least in the trees they were more likely to be overlooked. Within minutes, the ex-Mist nin was asleep, taking what time he could to rest.

Itachi sat on the tree, eyes open as he stared into the moon's glow. His hood covered most of his face, giving only the brief flash of his red eyes when looked at. The two ex-Akatsuki members had ditched their old clothes for darker cloaks of black with hoods to conceal themselves. They had managed to survive the infection so far, and they didn't plan on being among the other group anytime soon.

Itachi blinked slowly as his hazy vision continued to cloud his perception of his surroundings. He couldn't afford to be taken by the infected...not when he had so much to accomplish, "I will find you...Sasuke...and when I do...my goal will be achieved." with that, the missing nin fell asleep.

-ooOoo-

The following morning, Shizune woke up and walked down to the dining chambers. Gaara was sitting there with an orange in his hand, and a peeling knife in the other. He turned to her and nodded, "Good morning, Shizune-san."

She bowed, "Gaara-sama, it's good to see you."

"Please," he said with a wave of his hand, "no need for formalities anymore. Gaara is fine with me." to this, Shizune merely nodded.

The two were soon sitting and talking about the extensiveness of the chambers. Gaara, while he did sleep now with his Bijuu no longer in him, was still a bit of an insomniac. Apparantly, according to his estimates, the chambers went on for almost a mile in every direction except upwards, since the mountain itself wasn't that high.

"Well, I must say that the rooms are quite comfortable." Shizune commented. Most of the group member slept within the first three floors. Each bedroom was actually able to hold up to four people or so. She wondered why an organization as aloof as Akatsuki had so many rooms. She put the question in the back of her mind for now, and made a mental note to ask Deidara later.

Soon the two were greeted by a very unattentive Iruka. He yawned and gave a very muffled "Morning." as he walked to the coffee maker that he apparantly knew the location off. He began brewing some coffee and sat down at the table. It seemed that he just couldn't break the habit of waking up early...he blamed it on being a teacher for so long.

Hana walked downstairs from the second floor in a loose fitting t-shirt and some sweatpants, and plopped down at the table next to Iruka. She gave a sniff, and turned to Iruka, "How much longer on the coffee?" she mumbled.

"Meh..." Iruka shrugged, and Hana merely went back to resting her head on her arms. Within ten minutes the coffee was ready. Iruka got up as shuffled over and grabbed a mug, then looked to Shizune, Gaara, and Hana, "You three want coffee?"

Shizune politely declined, Gaara shook his head, and Hana gave a weak nod as he grabbed a second mug from a cabinet where the glasses were. He pulled out some sugar and turned to Hana again,"Milk or sugar?"

"Milk will be fine." she yawned, and eventually the two were drinking their morning brew.

After the caffeine started flowing through him, Iruka turned to the others, "Man, I slept like a log last night." he cracked his neck a bit, and turned to to the giant pantry. He pulled out a box of some cereal that had granola or something in it, then went and got some milk. He soon was eating a bowl of cereal while Hana and Shizune were serving themselves as well.

"Yosh! It is another beautiful day outside!" came the voice of Lee as he entered the dining chambers. The others stopped doing what they were doing when the looked to see Lee was wearing a simple t-shirt and the pants portion of a jumpsuit that was a simple black color. Everyone continued to stare as Tenten walked in behind him, a little winded, but standing fine. Apparantly they had been outside running it seemed.

"How did you two get back inside?" Shizune asked as the two took a seat at the large table.

"I let them in." spoke a voice, and everyone turned to see Konan walk in. The room grew quiet again, and a thick tension was held in the air. Well, everyone but Tenten and Lee seemed tense.

"I thank you again for waiting for us to return so that we could be let back in, Konan-san." Lee said with a polite bow. Tenten gave one as well, and the blue haired woman merely nodded.

"It was no trouble. Just be sure to be careful out there; we can't risk anyone getting infected that knows the location of this place." the blue haired woman replied, and she walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a tea kettle and some tea packets as well.

A half hour later found the group talking amongst themselves, and Sasuke and Kakashi had joined the group too. It was around nine o' clock or so at the time.

"How much supplies do we have here?" Kakashi asked Konan.

"This place has could sustain about forty people for about six months or so...but we may need to make the occasional run to a nearby village, or go hunting and foraging every so often in due time. We have enough food...but I myself do not want to eat freeze dried vegetables and chicken for the next half a year." Konan replied as she took a sip of her third cup of tea.

"Well...then I guess we better have a team go and scout out the area for any possible sights and bring back supplies..." Kakashi said as he looked up from his book (that Jiraiya had conveniently sealed in a scroll for him).

-ooOoo-

Naruto blinked open his eyes, and felt the warmth of Sakura's body next to him. He smiled as she slept there quietly, once again glomping onto his frame as she slept. He moved a little, and she seemed to frown as he did so. She grumbled a bit, and held onto him a little tighter while mumbling something like, "He's my baka..." or something around those lines. Naruto gave up and simply ran a hand through her hair. She was so beautiful...he just couldn't get over it.

"Sakura..." he whispered, not really expecting her to move. However, her eyes fluttered open, and she gave the blone a sleepy smile of her own.

"Morning, Naruto." she nuzzled her face into his open jacket, and let out a content sigh. Man, she sure was affectionate in the morning.

"Hey, Sakura, let's go get something to eat." he suggested as he nudged her gently.

"Five more minutes." she mumbled, and Naruto nodded. She had him on a leash, he couldn't deny that.

After fifteen minutes more than she had asked for, Naruto and her walked to the dining chambers, only to be greeted by Kiba and Hinata. Hinata was drinking from the kettle that Konan had conveniently left on warm for her while Kiba was sitting with a plate of eggs and ham. Akamaru and Hana's three dogs were eating what appeared to be from a giant bowl that Hana or Kiba must have carried with them.

"Hey, they're awake!" Kiba grinned as Naruto and Sakura walked into the chamber. Hinata greeted Sakura and Naruto and after asking Sakura got a cup of tea ready for her. Naruto grabbed a bowl of some cereal and dug in.

"So, where is everyone?" Sakura asked after they had taken a seat.

Hinata answered, "I believe that Iruka, Kakashi, Sasuke, Konan, and Gaara went out to see if they could get some supplies from a nearby abandoned village. They left about twenty minutes ago, and would be back in about two hours or so."

Naruto nodded and noticed Kiba looking at him with a grin, "What?" the blonde asked between mouthfuls.

"So...where were you two last night?" his grin only widened at the mutual blush between Sakura and Naruto.

Hinata sighed at her boyfriend, "Kiba-kun, you are one to talk," she turned to Sakura, "if it makes you feel any better, the two of us shared a room last night as well." Kiba was quiet after that.

Naruto finished his meal and stretched, "Well, I'm going to go and do some training and get to know the place better." he made the ram seal, and five clones popped into existence, "Walk around the hideout and let me know all that you see within the hour." the clones all saluted, and went off in different directions to scan out the place.

"Hey, Naruto, I'll join you in your training. I've been needing to the blood pumping for awhile now." Kiba spoke, and Naruto nodded. Soon the two boys were off to the nearest dojos. That soon left the two kunoichi alone to themselves.

"Well, what do you say we join them, Hinata?" Sakura offered with a smile. The pale-eyed girl nodded happily, and the two went off in the same direction as the their boyfriends.

-ooOoo-

The group of five shinobi jumped up a few feet as they neared the hideout. Their pace was quicker than normal, and they kept looking behind every so often.

"We need to tell the others..." Sasuke spoke, recieving a nod from Kakashi.

"I still can't believe what I saw back there..." spoke Iruka as he looked forward. A silence soon followed.

"I was wondering how they would survive after they had killed or infected the remaining survivors..." spoke Sasuke again, and they picked up their pace. They had managed to gather some resources from a village...but they also saw some things that they weren't sure they wanted to see.

"We must hurry. They may not have spotted us...but the further we are away from them the better." Gaara added.

**end of Chapter Ten- Hey there everyone. In case you didn't notice, this chapter's my longest one yet. I figured I would. Consider this the end of part 1 of Outbreak...yeah, I know I never specified that...but go ahead and shake your head and agree with me. Well, we now have twenty two survivors here. I wanted to have Konan in here because I wanted another female in here, and I wanted it to be someone from Akatsuki. Konan fits both categories, so there you go. The next chapter may be a while, but I figured this was worth the wait, right? Anyway, hope you enjoyed chapter ten, keep your eyes for chapter eleven! Let me know what you think of it so far, and I'll try and give you feedback! Well, until we meet again, later!**


	11. For You, and You Alone

**Disclaimer: Hey everyone! We got another guest for our disclaimer! Hey, Sakura, come over here!**

**Sakura: Hey, Denim!**

**Denim88: Hey, Sakura! Would you mind doing the disclaimer for our readers?**

**Sakura: Gladly! Ahem, Denim88 doesn't own Naruto or any of it's characters. He is not making any money off his works, and is simply doing this for fun...and because he's weird by making me vampiric.**

**Denim88: Um...that's a little cruel, Sakura.**

**Sakura: Oh, I don't mind at all. It has its...perks...(perverted giggle)**

**Denim88: You know...you shouldn't be scolding Naruto for being such a pervert when you're thinking like that as well...**

**Sakura: Hey, you're the NaruSaku supporter here. I don't see why you're complaining.**

**Denim88: Yeah...well, keep up the great work.**

**Sakura: Thanks...just don't get any ideas...(cracks knuckles)**

**Denim88: Heheh...r-right. Well, on with the next chapter...Sakura, please don't scare me like that...**

**Anyway, consider this the beginning of part II of my series...again, just agree nod and smile...**

**Outbreak Part II**

**Chapter Eleven: For You, and You Alone **

Two figures in pure black cloaks stood at the entryway of a small remote village east of Wind Country. Surprisingly enough, it was untouched. Most likely because it was remote, and out in the middle of a grassland area. A small group of the villagers was standing before the two. One of the men, the town's mayor, stood in front of the others while talking to the two cloaked figures.

"So, you'll get rid of that group of monsters south of here?" spoke a man as he raised an eyebrow. These two men had come to the village to offer their 'services' in return for food and housing for the night.

The shorter one nodded, "Yes, as long as you keep your end of the bargain..."

"Of course. We haven't been hit by them yet, so we would appreciate being able to remain unknown to them." the mayor replied.

The taller of the two cloaked figures spoke with a laugh, "Heh, a little dusty village like this still standing after all that's happened throughout the continent is quite a thing to see. We'll finish off the group by nightfall."

The group of people seemed to smile upon hearing this, and the mayor nodded, "Thank you both. This means alot." He motioned for a woman carrying two cloths with contents in them to come forward. She handed the items to the cloaked figures and they each took their respective ones.

"That's just some food. We don't know how sparse it is out there as far as edible substances, so we wanted to offer you something to eat while out there. When you return we'll have your rooms and meals ready for you." the mayor bowed, and the two men turned out towards the mid-morning wilderness.

As the two walked out into the open, the taller one spoke, "Itachi...are we seriously going to go through with this?"

The shorter man didn't look up, but he nodded, "Yes. The more of them we eliminate, the better. Besides, we need a place to stay."

Kisame gave a toothy smirk under his hood, and laughed, "Good. I was wondering when I'd be able to take out Samehada again."

The two slowly approached a small, wooded area near the edge of the grasslands after a few hours of travel. Itachi and Kisame stood still for a moment, and then sprinted into the trees at the same time without word. One could only describe their understanding of how to approach this from years of working together as partners of the once powerful Akatsuki.

They eventually came to a small wooded clearing, and stopped at the edge of the shadows, "Well, there they are..." Kisame whispered as he looked at the small group of infected shinobi, possibly twenty or so, and a small grin appeared on his face.

"Let's make this quick," Itachi spoke, and Kisame nodded. His hands reached for Samehada, and he unleashed a wave of killer intent. The group of infected froze in place, and they looked around.

One turned around only to find himself facing a cloaked figure, "Humans!!!" His throat was then impaled by a kunai, and before the others could react, a blast of water knocked two more into a tree.

Kisame appeared, and laughed as the other infected growled, "Heheh, oh, this will be _fun_!" he smiled as he hefted Samehada on his shoulders, ready to strike. Itachi held a kunai in his hands while his Sharingan was active.

The screams of the infected echoed throughout the woods that afternoon.

-ooOoo-

"Are you sure of this?" Asuma spoke as he looked at Kakashi and the group.

"Yes...we all got out of there as soon as we could. We're lucky we weren't followed." replied the masked shinobi, and he ran a hand through his hair. The entire group had met in the dining hall, and looked over the others, "They're getting desperate..."

Gaara nodded, "They were picking out the weaker ones we noticed though...they're falling back on instincts it seems."

The group was silent, thinking about the information that Kakashi, Iruka, Gaara, Sasuke, and Konan had just given no more than twenty minutes ago.

-ooOoo-

_"Sasuke, let's get these loaves of bread and get out of here." Kakashi spoke as the Uchiha picked some fruit from a basket and put it in a bag._

_The group had decided to go into a village that had been resided by infected shinobi and civilians to gather food and supplies. It was probably close to A or S rank as far as danger was concerned. The group had about ten minutes left until they were to meet, regardless of having anything, and leave._

_The two jumped out a window, and kept to the shadows. When the felt it was safe, they quickly ran through the alleyways, and waited within an empty building for the others. Two minutes passed, and Iruka, Gaara, and Konan appeared. All together, they had twenty pounds of vegetables and fruits, twelve loaves of bread, twenty-three pounds of rice, a few liters of oil for lighting fire, about thirty different male outfits of adult size, and forty different female outfits, varying between Moegi and Hanabi's age to Konan and Shizune's, along with other various supplies._

_"Are we ready?" Kakashi asked, and the others gave a quick nod, securing their bags of supplies and food to their backs. They were about to leave the building when they heard shouting outside._

_"No!!! You can't do this!!! This is unfair!!!" yelled the voice of a young male._

_The group quickly ran out and hid in the dark of an alley as they watched a group of infected gathering in the center of the village. A few infected were being tied to posts, and the others were looking at them with predatory looks._

_"Sorry, kid," spoke a Chunin of Iwa to the young Genin who had been yelling, "you're not strong enough to live among us...therefore you serve no further purpose but to provide us with blood. All of you will be made into sacrifices for our village..."_

_The Genin tied to the post was about to argue, but his throat was slit, and immediately the infected jumped on his body. Within seconds, the area was covered in sights that humans should never see._

_Iruka gripped his stomach, "Oh, that's just..." he held back his bile, and spoke, "...we have to leave, now."_

_The others nodded, and left as the other captured infected met similar fates. The ravenous yelling of the infected was heard even as they were exiting the village. The sounds of animalistic screams and sounds of death echoed through the late morning air._

-ooOoo-

Everyone continued to remain silent until Sakura spoke, "I guess the infection's destroying more and more of their human part of the mind as time where's on..."

Konan shook her head, however, "No...they're merely running out of blood supplement, and therefore are turning to the weak for that blood. It's a twisted way of determining survival I suppose."

The others remained silent, and then Sasuke spoke, "We'll have to be careful next time we head out to gather...if they're that bad now...I can only imagine it will be worse in a month or so..."

Deidara looked at the others, then to Lee, "Lee...I don't think training outside will be a good idea in a few more weeks. You're going to have to train in the dojo, and jog within the halls of the hideout."

Lee nodded, "If that is what must be done to insure our safety, then I will not object."

Shikamaru spoke up, "We'll need to have some kind of silent alarms set up if we get any 'visitors' around here..."

Everyone nodded, and Tenten got up, "I can set up some very thin and delicate wiring and join it with the current alarm system here. It's almost impossible to feel when even walking, the wire snaps at the slightest touch of chakra."

A few minutes of discussion brought the group to an agreement on a plan of security, and Iruka, Konan, Tenten, and Anko went out to set up the wiring. Meanwhile, the others went to do their own thing.

Kakashi had decided to rest in the small courtyard, a familiar book in his hand as he sat in a hammock near the center. He looked up to see the familar face of Naruto looking at him, "What's up, Naruto?"

Naruto sat down on the ground next to the hammock, and Kakashi could tell what was coming, "Can you tell me more about my dad and mom?"

Kakashi closed his book, and put it away. Naruto noticed this, and took it as Kakashi taking this very seriously, "Hm...well,where to begin...?" The Copy-cat nin rubbed his chin, then smiled, "You're father was my sensei, and I had to admit, at first, I thought he was too easy going for a Jounin...then again, anyone who didn't follow the rules to the letter was the same when I was younger..."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kakashi chuckled sadly, "In short, Naruto, I was a classic jerk when I was a kid. I didn't care about how others felt, just that the mission got done." he paused, and let out a sigh, "Obito was kind of like you, Naruto. He was a real jokester...and he thougth that I was regular prick. I can hardly disagree with that. Still, your father taught us, and he taught us well."

Naruto nodded, "Um...Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked to his student, "Yeah?"

"Well...when did my dad stop teaching you?"

"Ah..." Kakashi had a saddened glint in his eye, "To be honest, never. He still teaches me in the words he told me all those years back...Obito too." Kakashi looked to him, "You know...you and Obito would have gotten along great."

"Really?" Naruto asked as he smiled a bit. He was about to ask further when two sets of footsteps were able to be heard from behind them, "Oh, Sasuke, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura and Sasuke sat down by Naruto, one on each side of said blonde. Sakura leaned on Naruto's shoulder while Sasuke merely sat back a bit with a relaxed expression.

Sakura looked at the two that were here before her, "What are you to talking about?" Naruto looked to Kakashi, and the Jounin merely nodded.

Naruto took that as permission to answer, "We were talking about my dad and Kakashi's team when he was younger."

This got the two newcomers' interest. Sasuke looked up and Sakura's eyes widened, "Really?"

Naruto nodded, and the blonde and silver haired ninja began to talk about Naruto's heritage, and about Kakashi's team. When Kakashi got to the mission dealing with the battle with the Iwa nin that changed Kakashi's life, Sasuke interrupted, "So...a clan member named Obito Uchiha gave you that?" the stoic boy pointed to Kakashi's covered eye.

Kakashi nodded, "Yep...it was his gift to me...and it saved my life on countless occasions. In a way, he's a part of me, and lives on I guess. He's the one that inspired me to become a better person. You know that motto I have about shinobi disobeying the rules being trash?" he recieved a nod from the three younger shinobi, "Obito was the one to add that not caring for your team and friends making you lower than trash. He wore his heart at his sleeve, and he easily let his emotions make him lose focus...but those emotions saved my life..."

Sasuke nodded slowly, "Oh..."

Kakashi continued, "I'll be honest, after he died, I didn't know if I wanted to take on another team or teach...but I guess fate just wouldn't allow that." Kakashi smiled to the others, "I'm glad I didn't have my way, otherwise I wouldn't have met you three."

Naruto grinned, while Sakura smiled. Sasuke smirked a bit and turned away to avoid the others from seeing him. Sakura looked up at the man and a question came to her mind, "Kakashi-sensei...is it true that the Yondaime took out fifty shinobi of Iwagakure on his own?"

Kakashi smiled even wider under his mask, "Oh boy, you three better be willing to take a seat. That event was _nothing _compared to what else he did with the _**Hiraishin no Jutsu**_." He chuckled as the three shared looks of intense interest. Looks like he had no choice but to tell the story...

-ooOoo-

Asuma and Kurenai were sitting together in a room later that day. Kurenai had decided to give in to everyone's advice and was taking it easy...well, as easy as a kunoichi could anyway. She still did a light workout, and would practice her chakra control everyday. She wouldn't allow herself to lose her touch, even if she was pregnant.

"You smell better since you quit smoking," she said as they shared the quiet peace between the two.

Asuma nodded, "Heh, it's hard as hell to deal with, but I'm willing to make sacrifices that will help you and our kid..."

Kurenai looked fondly at the ring that Asuma had given her earlier that day. He told her that he had planned on giving it to her months back, but with the attack he never managed to get around to doing it. She was overjoyed though when Asuma got on one knee and asking her hand in marriage. She said yes, and they both finally felt complete with their situation. Shikamaru later commented on how he had been waiting for Asuma to finally pop the question, and said he wouldn't mind being the best man after Asuma asked him.

A knock at their door shook them from their thoughts. They both turned to see Hinata at the door, "Sorry...but dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Oh, Kurenai-sensei, Shizune wants you to stop by your room later so she can give you a proper check up."

"Thank you, Hinata. We'll be down in a few minutes." Kurenai replied, and the quiet girl nodded before leaving.

"So...what are you hoping for?" Asuma asked as he helped her out of the chair they were sharing.

"Well, I would like a girl, but I'm fine with a boy too." she gave him a smirk, "I can only imagine what he'll be like, seeing as your the father."

Asuma chuckled, "Well, if we have a girl, I'm afraid of her picking up your behavior." he grinned as the two walked to the dining hall. A light jab to the ribs was the bearded Jounin's reward for the smart remark.

-ooOoo-

In a city east of Earth Country and north of Fire Country, were the rain continually fell, there stood a man amongst the rubble of what had once been the Village Hidden in the Rain. He had been a powerful man, and helped lead one of the most powerful organizations ever heard of by the Hidden Villages. Now though, it was gone...all of it.

He walked over some stones and clods of dirt, and picked up a glass vile that had a dark red liquid in it. To an ordinary civilian or human, this vile appeared to be nothing more than a container of some blood like liquid. However, even a below-average Academy student would be able to feel the tainted chakra inside the vile. It was...almost in human...the amount of evil given off by this simple little container.

"To think that this is all that remains..." the man spoke, ringed eyes staring intently at the red liquid. He noticed that as he moved the liquid around, the aura became more intense. He continued walking, and grimaced as he heard some screams of infected behind him. With a single hand seal, he seemed to dissapear within the rain, and moments passed. A group of infected ran past, panic stricken as they looked behind in terror. They ran off, and seconds followed before a larger group appeared. The larger group cried out in a bloodthirsty tone, and continued their pursuit. After a minute of time passed, the man reappeared where he had been standing.

"So...they've resorted to hunting down each other..." he lifted the vile up, and with one last glare, stuffed the vile in his pocket, "Madara...what were you thinking, you fool...?" with another hand seal, the once 'god-like' Pein dissapeared in a puff of smoke.

-ooOoo-

Kisame and Itachi were sitting in a small room with two beds. It was a quiet night, but then again, a village existing in such a time should remain quiet unless it wished to be destroyed and slaughered by possible hunters.

"Itachi." Kisame spoke, and the Uchiha looked up from his seat on the floor.

"What is it, Kisame?"

Kisame was quiet for a moment, and this bothered even the emotionless Itachi a bit. Kisame spoke after a few moments passed, "Was Pein right about that Tobi kid? Was he the one behind all of this?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes at nothing in particular as he looked straight ahead, "Not entirely..."

Kisame gave him a quizzical look, "What do you mean by 'not entirely'?"

Itachi looked to Kisame with an intangible expression, "Pein said there was another force involved, but before he could tell me, the infected got in the base...then the statue housing the bijuu was destroyed..."

Kisame nodded as he recalled the explosion that resulted in the giant statues destruction. When the statue was destroyed, Kisame and Itachi decided to make a break for it. They didn't exactly know what would happen if the statue was destroyed, but the fact that some of the most powerful demons on the planet were inside it gave them the idea that perhaps they should leave. The killer intent they felt as the statue slowly cracked apart didn't help any.

"Well, I'm starting to think that there's more behind this then some simple little virus..." spoke the blue skinned man as he got into his bed.

Itachi didn't move from his spot on the floor; he rarely slept at all, so he wouldn't go to bed for another few hours. He turned towards the window, and looked at the full moon, noticing that it didn't appear as bright in his eyes as it really was.

_'Whatever was behind this...it wasn't from the acts of man...' _Itachi thought as he closed his eyes to meditate. He would need to become more powerful now to overcome that Madara Uchiha...and in order to do that...he needed two certain objects from a person that wanted him dead...

"Soon...very soon..." Itachi spoke as he went into a state of subconsciousness.

-ooOoo-

**Two weeks later...**

Naruto was standing in the center of the largest dojo as he squared off with Sasuke. The two had that in order to stay in top shape, they needed to spar with each other at least twice a week. Unfortunately for them, Sakura wouldn't let herself fall behind...so she decided to join in as well...

If it wasn't for the fact that the dojo was technically the size of a typical training ground, the place would have been unusable after Sakura decided to punch the ground. Currently, Naruto and Sasuke were avoiding punches that had enough force to topple a small building. Sasuke had learned not to take his Sharingan for granted after he saw Naruto go flying into a wall, then immediately being healed by a very apologetic Sakura...Naruto had limped for two days before he was back to normal.

"Sakura, you're footing's off..." Sasuke said as he made a sweep for her legs while he avoided another punch. The pink haired kunoichi was taking off her feet, and fell to the ground. She grabbed a sword that was aimed for her shoulder, and flung Sasuke over her body while he still gripped his blade. As Sakura got up, she saw three streaks of orange fly at her, and she didn't have time to react as a barrage of punches came at her. She switched from offense to defense, and began to block the three _**Kage Bunshin **_that Naruto had made. Meanwhile, said blonde was hiding behind a stalagmite with a kunai in hand. He still hated attacking Sakura, even if it was a spar. However, after some sweet talking from the kunoichi, and a promise that if he didn't give her a good fight that he would be dealing with not only Sakura, but _all_ the kunoich (including Hinata and Konan, much to his surprise).

He saw one of his clones go flying with a "That hurt, Sakura-chaaaaaaaaaaan!" before hitting the wall with a puff of smoke. Naruto soon found out from the clone that Sakura was tiring out. Time to make his move.

Naruto noticed Sasuke was standing behind a stalamite as well, and the two made eye contact. Naruto gave Sasuke a hand signal, and Sasuke nodded before jumping out into the open, hands blazing with seals, "_**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!**_"

That was Naruto's cue. He made a few quick hand seals as he jumped from his hiding place along with two clones, "_**Fuuton: Rasengan!!**_"

Naruto jumped back as his two clones carried the wind powered Rasengan. Sakura bit back a curse as the flames slowly began to circle around the spinning ball of wind. The two clones dissapeared from existence as the flames began to form a spinning vortex of heat and fire.

Naruto and Sasuke both watche as their _**Fukyuu Kouenkadou no Jutsu**_ spun wildly towards Sakura. As the flames erupted upon hitting the wall, the two waited for the smoke to clear. They heard the steady dripping of water, and the steam that was rising from the underground spring's water that had been brought to boiling temperatures. Suddenly they both noticed a shadow within the steam standing on the water. A large amount of water dropped back into the spring; Sakura had used _**Suijinheki**_ to avoid being burned by the flames.

Naruto and Sasuke both felt a slight rise in chakra, and they both prepared themselves, "Crud, I forgot she had an affinity to water..." Naruto grumbled as he saw the water began to churn. This became a dangerous situation, for the entire dojo was above an aquifer that stretched out under the entire mountain range. All Sakura had to do was summon the ground water up.

Sakur completed the hand seals as Naruto and Sasuke braced themselves, "_**Suiton: Mizuoni Shinsui no Jutsu!**_" The next thing they knew, Naruto and Sasuke were hit by a flashflood of water, and sent flying back into the wall opposite of Sakura. There was an added bonus to this jutsu though; it had the pressure of a firehose being blasted at full power.

As the waters receded, Sakura walked up to her to groanning teammates. She smiled serenely upon seeing them on the ground wet to the bone, and unable to get up.

Naruto grinned, and so did Sasuke. She suddenly sensed something amiss, "Kai!" she said, and Sasuke dissapeared while Naruto turned into a plume of smoke. She felt cold steel pressed against her throat and a sharp point poking her chest just over her heart. She chuckled, "Okay, you guys got me this time."

Naruto and Sasuke were both sopping wet, and panting. That water technique of her design was good. The only downside was that it took a bit longer to get going, and it drained a lot of Sakura's chakra to perform. Kakashi pointed out though that probably three years ago she wouldn't have come anywhere near that close in the amount of chakra she had now.

The two boys put down their respective weapons, and Naruto smiled as he wrapped his arms around Sakura's waist, "Wow, you're getting tougher, Sakura-chan! That jutsu had me and Sasuke for a minute there. If it wasn't for his Genjutsu and my Shadow Clones, we may have been done for."

Sasuke gave Naruto a blank look, "Naruto...you said it yourself that you were holding back to me just a moment ago..."

Naruto sent Sasuke a look that screamed 'Why, Sasuke, why?' as Sakura suddenly let out a flow of killer intent, "Naruto...is that true? I thought you said you wouldn't go easy on me...you know I want to get stronger in my combat skills..."

"Heheh, Sasuke's just joking! _Right_, Sasuke???" Naruto replied, suddenly backing away. Sasuke's smirk answered the question for the two.

-ooOoo-

The fearful screaming of Naruto going, "Sakura-chan, I didn't want to hurt you too badly! I promise I won't hold back next time!" rang throughout the halls of the mountain hideout while Deidara was having some late dinner while Gaara was reading a certain orange book that a masked Jounin usually had.

"Gaara, you know how your sister is about you reading that stuff..." Deidara said with a annoyed tone. He mentally read off the names of people reading Icha Icha now: Kakashi, Iruka (when no one was around), Kiba (when Hinata wasn't around), Anko, Naruto (only a few times, he skipped the bad parts, honestly!), Gaara, and much to his surprise...

"Deidara, I don't see why you should worry about that. Jiraiya-sensei's books are surprisingly good..." spoke the calm voice of Konan, who was looking over the sand user's shoulders to see where he was, "Hm...Jiraiya-sensei could have done better here to be honest. That position would never work in a dressing roo-"

"Okay, and I have officially lost my appetite, un!" spoke Deidara as he got up from the table, "I'm surrounded by perverts!" he yelled as he walked down the hall. He heard the footsteps of Naruto heading towards him.

Naruto noticed him, and a small flicker of hope showed in Naruto's face, "Deidara!! You have to help me! Sakura-chan's-"

"Going to kill you, I know, you said the same thing two days ago, remember?" he sighed, and opened a random door that turned out to be a broom closet to the dining hall. Naruto dove in, and Deidara shut the door, mumbling something about being too nice for his own good.

Sakura was walking down the same hall, fists clenched and a sinister grin on her face. Deidara decided he wasn't being to nice to Naruto upon feeling the killer intent the crazy girl was letting out. Man, was it that time of the month for Sakura already? He held his tongue, afraid of being on the recieving side of Sakura's fist. Kiba made a similar comment to Temari three days ago. Long story short, Kiba didn't leave his room for a whole day, aside from running to the bathroom or kitchen while saying something about 'crazy sand woman' in a panicked voice.

"Oh, Naruto-_kun_! Where are you?" Sakura called in a sugar coated voice that promised pain. Deidara seriously wondered how the two remained a couple. Deidara hazarded the guess that Naruto was somewhat of a masochist while Sakura had a fetish for men who liked being beaten up. He shook his head, and was about to leave when he felt a pair of eyes on him, "Deidara...where's Naruto?"

Now, Deidara was a smart man. Not a genius, but still a smart man. He knew quite a few things about being interrogated, and how to approach these kinds of situations. He also was a man of some respect; he respected Naruto and the others, and wouldn't betray them if he could help it.

However, this was the wrath of Sakura Haruno he was dealing with. He would rather be an experimental dummy for Hinata's Gentle Fist style for a day than deal with Sakura's fists.

"Promise me you won't break any bones, un..." Deidara said with a sigh. Sakura nodded.

Deidara pointed to the broom closet, and Sakura smiled sweetly before opening it. She gave the blonde hiding behind a dustpan a sinister grin that would have made Gaara flinch in fear, "Naruto-_kun_, there you are!" she said sweetly before yanking him out of the closet and dragging him to his feet. Both teens looked to see that Deidara had taken his chance and left before they could say anything. Naruto looked to see a somewhat upset Sakura looking at him. She wasn't going to hurt him, but she was going to yell at him, "Naruto..."

"I know...I held back again..."

"It's not that..." she looked him straight in the eyes, "I want to know why you don't trust me..."

Naruto gave her a confused look, "Don't trust you? Sakura, that's ridic-"

Sakura raised a hand, "Naruto, if you really believed in me, you wouldn't have held back when you came at me all those times. Sasuke put a decent amount of fire power behind his last attack; you were holding back..."

Naruto dropped his head, "I don't want to hurt you...I care about you more than anything else in the entire world, Sakura. If you got seriously injured because of me..." he didn't finish his sentence, and just looked away.

"Naruto...I'm a student of the Godaime Hokage, and Shizune is probably one of the top ten best medics in the world. I'll be fine if I get hurt. I don't mean for you to go and pull of a death blow on me...but you shouldn't be afraid to bruise me or kick me in the jaw once in a while."

"I know...it's just hard for me to try and hurt you. It's almost a reflex for me to want to protect you..." he was quiet for a moment, then spoke again, softer this time, "Sakura...I would die for you if that was the case..."

Sakura frowned, "Naruto..."

The blone Jinchuuriki rested his chin on the pink haired girl's head, "Sorry...I didn't mean to worry you by saying that."

Sakura smiled as she pressed her chest against his, and she could feel his heartbeat, "It's okay...next time, make sure to fight a little harder against me. I want to become stronger too, so I can protect you."

Naruto nodded with a grin, and pulled back a bit, "Heheh, yeah. Man, that water jutsu was awesome though, Sakura-chan! I mean, Kakahsi-sensei knows alot of them too, but for you to go and make your own like that was amazing! You blocked Sasuke and my fire technique with that _**Suijinheki**_, and then used your super-powerful flood attack to blast me and Sasuke away. Then you came up to us, and noticed that Sasuke had used a Genjutsu and I made a Shadow Clone. I bet you could beat Gaara if you-"

"Naruto." Sakura interrupted, looking at her blonde-haired boyfriend.

"Huh, oh, what is it Sakura-chan?"

She gave him a seductive smile, "You talk too much sometimes," she then leaned up to his lips and the two were soon lip-locked. Naruto immediately forgot what he had been saying, while Inner Sakura was screaming like a fangirl. Naruto felt himself getting pushed against the wall as Sakura began to instigate further. Naruto felt her tongue pushing against his teeth, and he froze for a second. She was quite ambitious, he thought, but allowed her tongue access. Soon the two were kissing deeply, and a few quiet moans from Sakura and Naruto could be heard.

Sakura felt like her entire body was on fire. She had been wondering when this would happen. Before now, all she and Naruto had done was long, chaste kisses and cuddling. This, however, was what she believed they classified as 'making-out' or something aroud those lines. First thought on her mind was how Naruto was somehow a naturalist at this. She slowly pulled him closer with some of her strength while one hand slowly went for a knob to an empty room on the opposite wall that Naruto was pinned against. She opened the door, pulled them in, and shut it with a click.

Naruto faintly registered the fact that he was in a room with Sakura now, and that the door locked...wait..._wait a minute_!

Naruto stopped just as he and Sakura were lying on a couch, "Sakura..." he said faintly, trying to keep himself from going.

She didn't answer, but began to undo his jacket.

"S-Sakura-chan..." he said again, feeling her flip over on him so she was on top.

She looked at him lovingly, "Hm?" she replied slowly said as she ran a hand over his abs. He drew in a breath as he felt her lean down and plant a few kisses on his neck. Where did she learn all this from?

"Are you sure of this?" he asked, looking at her. She looked at him with an intense flame in her emerald eyes. For a moment, she wondered about this. Then she thought about the feeling she always had around the blonde, the way she felt relaxed, and happy when she was in his arms. The way he made her days brigther. The fact that he had pretty much pledged his life to her when he found out about her being partially infected. She smiled softly, and knew her answer.

"Yes." she said simply, but to Naruto, it held so much meaning. He smiled back, and the amount of feeling in his eyes couldn't be expressed enough by words alone.

"Sakura-chan..." he said as they each embraced again.

That evening proved to be one that both would remember as one of the happiest moments of their lives.

-ooOoo-

Sasuke sat in the kitchen with Lee, of all people, and the two were talking. Apparantly Lee was going to be celebrating his birthday in another month or so. Tenten had gone to one of the villages with some of the others about a week ago to get a gift for him. She arrived back with a bag, and when he asked what was in it, she simply stuck out her tongue and said it was none of this business right now.

"Hn...maybe they were a set of new ankle weights." Sasuke said, not too focused on guessing right now. He already knew what it was, Sakura had told him. However, that didn't mean he would let Lee know. He enjoyed seeing the green-wearing boy trying to guess anyway.

"Perhaps, Sasuke, but I do not truly know. Tenten is very kind and she is a girl; I do not know if she would know what I like or need. I do not really expect gifts as it is. Having my friends with me is enough." Lee replied with a nod.

The Uchiha held back a smirk; he was so wrong about that. The gift that girl had found for him would be perfect for him. He knew it.

"Don't worry about it right now, I'm sure you'll find out in due time." he spoke as he got up with a stifled yawn, "Well, I'm retiring for the night. See you in the morning, Lee."

"Goodnight, Sasuke. I hope you get plenty of rest; you promised you and Kakashi would spar with Tenten and I tomorrow." Lee added with his signature grin.

Sasuke cringed inwardly; he forgot about that. Man, he was suddenly hoping he would somehow end up missing by late morning tomorrow. He wasn't so sure that he would want to go toe to toe with Konoha's Green Beast. He forced a smirk on his face, and prayed Kakashi would show him some mercy and show up for the spar on time for once, "I won't forget, Lee." With that, he went to bed, hoping not to have nightmares about flames, springtime, or youth.

-ooOoo-

Naruto lay on the couch, smiling peacefully as he held the pink haired girl he loved in his arms. The only thing on either of them was a blanket that he found draped over the couch. He was worried at first of what may happen if they went through with it, but it turned out Sakura had been taught ways to prevent it that were about ninety-eight percent reliable, being a medic-nin and all.

Naruto kissed Sakura on the forehead, and she opened an eye, waking up from her light sleep. She gave him a smile that made him only grin more, and ran a hand through his blonde hair, "That was probably the best thing I've ever experienced..." she said quietly.

"Yeah," Naruto added as he pulled her close. Oh how many times had he thought of this during that two and a half year trip with Jiraiya? He didn't know, but all his fantasies were nothing compared to what he got.

Sakura on the other hand, knew what would it probably would have been like to some extent. You don't become a great medic without some knowledge in this area of the human anatomy. Needless to say though, she enjoyed it...a lot. Naruto proved to be very tender and loving, while at the same time a bit fiesty with her. She swore she heard him growl once or twice during that time.

"Sakura..." she heard Naruto say her name, and she looked to into his eyes. She nearly gasped as she saw what could only be described as pure emotion in them. It wasn't really visible to the human eye, but Sakura had learned to read Naruto very well by his eyes, "...I love you...so much."

She knew right then and there that Naruto was vulnerable. He was holding his emotions and heart at his sleeve. Had a woman did this with Naruto that felt nothing more than a physical attraction to him, she could have destroyed him with a single sneer at such an open proclaiming of his feelings. Sakura, however, saw this and felt herself grow warm. How could she possibly want to hurt him right now, or ever for that matter?

"I love you too, and always will, Naruto..." she said as she leaned into kiss him. She felt him tremble a bit, and she pulled back, "...Naruto?"

He laughed, "Sorry...guess I'm still trying to get over the fact that this is really happening..." he said, and she laughed.

"It is." she kissed him lightly, "Plan on it happening more often than not, too." she nibbled his lower lip, and suddenly felt a hand snake around her waist, "Eep!"

Naruto was grinning mischeviously, and laughed, "Oops."

Sakura blushed, having felt Naruto pinch her in the posterior, "Naruto!" she was blushing now, and it was quite ironic that she would do so considering what they had done only a little while ago. She grinned, and pinned both his wrists down, "I should punish you for that."

Naruto suddenly felt his face heat up, and the look that Sakura gave him was very similar to the one she would give if she were threatening him. This time though, he would probably _like _the punishment.

"Heheh, punishment?" Naruto asked, and Sakura merely nodded. She leaned down and gave him another peck. Though she was being playful, in all fairness, she was tired. She eventually ended up nibbling his earlobe and giving him a mark on his neck from playing a bit hard. She was soon however, yawning and falling asleep in his arms.

Naruto was a little tired, but not as sleepy as the girl in his arms. However, the warmth from her body was slowly lulling him to a comfortable daze. Eventually they both were fast asleep in each other's arms.

-ooOoo-

A cold wind blew over the Land of Spring, formerly known as the Land of Snow. The place was covered thick with a white blanket of the frozen water crystals, and had been for six months now. The country had shut down its generators in order to preserve energy for lighting and electricity that its people so desperately needed. The Land of Spring was the only nation left that had been untouched at all by the infection. Princess Koyuki Kazahana had done everything in her power to give all she could as far as resources went to help insure her people's safety. The reconstructed Hidden Snow Village was founded by her, and the ninja were loyal to their country and princess. It had been slow-going, but the Hidden Snow shinobi were soon a worthy group to be recognized. This didn't mean she didn't trust Konoha for protection. It was merely so that her country could have the ability to act if an attack on their country occured. Ninja were a great addition to any country's defense.

"Kazahana-hime, we have the report on our security." spoke a Jounin wearing the Hidden Snow hitai-ite. He handed her the scroll and bowed after she gave him permission to be dismissed. She looked over the scroll, and frowned. The infection had spread to the farthest regions of Lightning Country, which was surprising, considering the mountains that seperated the country from most threats. She sighed, this wasn't good. As far a she understood, her country was the only one standing now. Her thoughts soon drifted to a certain group of four shinobi, especially one particular blonde.

"Naruto...I hope you and your team are okay..." she spoke quietly, and got up from her chair. She would have to schedule a meeting with Hidden Snow's head Jounin. They would need to prepare for the worst, it seemed.

**end of Chapter Eleven- Huzaah! Chapter eleven is up! Hm...I have to say, that's probably the closest I've ever come to a lemon scene in any of my stories. I have to admit...I'm pleasantly pleased. I don't think I could right anything more detailed than that. After I reached a certain point I was like, 'Uh...crap...what do I do...what will detract everyone from the oncoming...stuff...?' That's where my friend Rock Lee came in. Had to keep it youthful, lol. Well, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. If you have any questions or comments, let me know. I appreciate the reviews, and always enjoy reading them. Well, thanks again!**

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Jutsu notes: **

_**Katon: Fukyuu Kouenkadou no Jutsu**_ (Eternal Flame Vortex technique)- (mine)- Simply put, a combo attack made when Sasuke's _**Goukakyuu no Jutsu**_ is used in conjunction with Naruto's _**Fuuton: Rasengan**_ (1). The wind powered Rasengan helps power the flames to greater levels, and causes them to spin into a vortex like formation, hence the name. Naruto and Sasuke created this during their time in Suna and while training in the hideout's dojo's. Very powerful, and very fast.

_**Suiton: Mizuoni Shinsui no Jutsu**_ (Water Demon Flood technique)- (mine) A water based jutsu created by Sakura (2). Sakura summons a large amount of water from a nearby source to create a flash flood with a surprising amount of force. As stated, it's equivalent to a giant wave hitting you with the speed and pressure from a firehose...ouch. As stated, it drains chakra quickly, so is used as a quick attack to clear an area of enemies.

(1)Naruto doesn't know the Rasenshuriken yet, since he never got a chance to train with Kakashi and Yamato due to the infection spreading throughout the lands. I'll maybe have him learn it later on, but that's not a major focus right now.

(2) Yes, I gave Sakura an affinity to water. I don't honestly know what her affinity is, I don't think any source has ever touched on this. So, consider Sakura's affinity water in this story.

On a final note, I'll be only posting my created jutsu on here...I made the mistake of posting descriptions of all jutsu on one of my other stories...my eyes were blurry by the time I was finished...ugh. If you want a better description of the other techniques, there's various online sources that can explain these techniques from the anime and manga Naruto series.


	12. Searching and Hunting

**Disclaimer: There's a wise saying I once heard that goes a little like this, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need." Hm...I guess if I need ownership rights to Naruto...then maybe...bah, who am I kidding? Anyway, I don't own Naruto.**

**Outbreak Part II**

**Chapter Twelve: Searching and Hunting**

One month had passed since the group of twenty-two shinobi had taken residence in the abandoned mountain base of Akatsuki. It had been a bit difficult to adjusting to the cooler atmosphere within the dark corridors, but thanks to Gaara's skills in boring through rock with sand, they had a few more areas of natural lighting now. This helped brighten the otherwise gloomy area a bit. A few things had happened since they arrived. For one, Naruto began to train with Kakashi in using wind chakra, his natural affinity, and combining it with the _**Rasengan**_. He had gone as far as creating the _**Fuuton: Rasengan**_, and was going to the next step currently.

Kakashi also tried to help Sasuke learn how to use the Sharingan more effectively, and they were also seeing if he could also unlock Mangekyou Sharingan a different way. It was tough, but the silver haired man believed they were making progress. After Deidara gave his account of his arm being ripped out of his socket, Sasuke started realizing that maybe Kakashi _did _know what he was talking about.

Lee had changed a bit too. Having limited access to new clothes forced him to eventually ditch his favorite suit. Well, most of it anyway. He still wore the leg warmers to hold his weights, but he was now wearing a simple gray long sleeve with his Chunin vest and black pants that were typical of shinobi. Tenten, while she never said it in front of Lee, liked the new look. The biggest change, however, was what happened about two weeks ago when Lee and Sasuke were having a spar. Lee did something that even got Shino to later describe as amazing...Lee opened the sixth gate, and he did a marvelous job at it to boot. Gai would have been proud.

Kiba and Hinat were seen walking the corridors together with Akamaru close to them. They weren't really on a huge romantic level with each other...well, not the same as Naruto and Sakura anyway, but they still were seen sharing an intimate moment together from time to time, and they did share the same bedroom. Hana felt happy to see her brother finally with a girl that could put a leash on him, no pun intended.

Kurenai was well on her way with the pregnancy, and Shizune as well as Sakura stated that the baby was doing fine. Kurenai, on the other hand, was having trouble with not being allowed to train with the others. After almost five months into her pregnancy, Kurenai was officially put under maternal rest, so she couldn't even attempt to do a standard taijutsu drill if she wished. Chakra control exercises were allowed, but not for more than an hour at the most. She was happy however to see that it gave her every excuse in the book to ask for cream cheese and celery or tomato juice with olives and pineapple blended together...she seriously wondered why she was having these cravings...and Asuma was too. The first time he was woken up by her to go get a carton of plain yogurt from the fridge with some pickles and a plate of barbeque chicken covered in mustard was what really took the cake, though. Shikamaru would later officially state these cravings as 'troublesome', earning it a spot on 'Things that are troublesome' list.

Konan had come to become a bit of a annoying big sister to younger generation of shinobi. Until recently, that had been Shizune's job, being the worry-wart that the medic-nin always was. Now though, Konan had taken that spot, seeing as she was the only women that had the gall to successfully put Sasuke and Gaara on the weekly chore list. They had argued, but a half hour with her had made the two silently and politely begin doing dishes after dinner once every other week as well as other things. When asked about it, they would say nothing and continue with their chores. Konan had also taken up making friends with Shizune, Anko, and Naruto. The latter had been the first one actually. Naruto had actually confronted her one evening and asked her _why_ she had worked for Pein for all those years. She stated that he was someone she had known practically all her life, and was the closest thing she ever had to a family after Amegakure plunged into war and chaos. Naruto nodded, thinking back to a certain boy who had died protecting a nuke-nin in Wave Country all those years back when Naruto was still a rookie Genin. Haku had taught him a valuable lesson that day...and Naruto wouldn't forget it. He became quick friends with Konan, and learned she actually enjoyed peaceful activities and art (not Deidara's though, that wasn't peaceful). She came to realized that Naruto truly was as great of a boy as Shizune and Anko claimed him to be, seeing as he had broken through the former Akatsuki member's walls of quiet indifference. Sakura would later find Konan calling her boyfriend Naruto-kun to be a bit unnerving at times, but knew nothing flirtatious was involved between them.

Gaara was, much to everyone's surprise, an avid reader of the late Jiraiya-sama's work. He had continously asked Kakashi if he could borrow the books to read, and Kakashi, being one of Icha Icha's biggest fans, was more than happy to, much to Temari's chagrin. Along with that, Gaara had continued to train himself in manipulating his sand more effectively, and had discovered his affinity to wind as well. Temari was now currently teaching her younger brother something for once, something she found very enjoyable, since it gave her an excuse to spend time with her little brother.

Iruka had been nominated as one of the main cooks of the headquarters, seeing as he had unlocked his latent ability to cook gourmet when he stumbled upon a notebook full of combined cooking recipes. Deidara would later admit that the recipes were actually from the various Akatsuki members...something that got a laugh out of the group. They had insisted that Deidara make his famous crab apple jam, which he said was impossible at the moment since the trees weren't ready in the court yard and wouldn't be for another four to five months. Still, Iruka had taken it upon himself to improve his physical strength, and was now seen at least five times a week with Anko. The two were close...but whether they were a couple remained a mystery. Anko would openly admit that she and Iruka had done such things that lovers do, but wouldn't go into detail. Iruka merely laughed with a blush on his face when confronted about it. Only the two knew how deep their relationship _really _was.

Shikamaru and Temari were a confusing case. They were close, yet at the same time they got annoyed with each other. Gaara didn't bother investigating it; it seemed he already knew what was going on between the two and was keeping everyone else in the dark. Needless to say, Temari was happy with the shadow manipulating boy, and he was happy with her...yet it was still 'troublesome' at times. Kurenai and Asuma found it both funny and charming.

Sakura had taken a Moegi as an apprentice after three weeks of boredom hit her. Moegi, while not as great at healing as the older kunoichi was, still had quite a gift in chakra control. This made Sakura happy, and the first day that Moegi managed to send Naruto flying twenty yards with a simple punch made the pink haired kunoichi smile. Sakura was also currently doing research on Naruto's immune system and bloodstream and how it managed to repel the effects of the virus. There was a lab in the lower chambers of the mountain hideout, much to her surprise, and with Shizune and, much to their surprise, Hana's help, they were starting to understand the nature of the virus better. It attacked the nervous system, and caused a rapid release of hormones in certain primitive areas of the brain. It essentially changed the nature of a human's instincts...making them turn from wary human to fierce hunter. They had to capture infected though to do this...a task that Naruto and Sakura alone took upon themselves. They managed to get a hold of a single male and female. They were killed afterwards, of course, but they had done some rather effective testing from the research. They simply let the female bite Naruto, and waited for the effects (while Kakashi was ready with a Raikiri _just in case_ something went wrong with Naruto). Naruto essentially felt nothing, and his body somehow found a way to block the virus from spreading thanks to the Kyuubi's chakra intermingling with his own. That was understood enough...the only obstacle now was on how to replicate this effect and make an antidote.

Currently, Naruto was sitting on a hospital bed in the lower chambers with his shirt off and only his pants on. He had a strong suspicion Sakura was just trying to get an her dose of eye-candy, but he didn't mind either way. Seeing Sakura in a med-nin outfit was quite attractive, he thought.

Sakura looked over a microscope, and sighed, "It's not doing anything...we've tried and tried...but no matter what I do, your blood doesn't seem to work well with anything else when we inject the virus into it." Sakura was currently trying out an experiment by combining the blood of Naruto with samples of the others' blood and injecting a small portion of the virus. However, unlike with Naruto's blood alone, the virus spread and multiplied. Naruto's blood seemed to only work well on it's own.

Naruto gave her a small grin, "Don't worry, Sakura-chan, I'm sure you'll find something soon enough! Besides, from what I heard, the infected are starting to die off. It looks like they're gettting desperate, and they're hunting down their own kind now."

Sakura smiled, and began to clean up the lab area. When she finished, she walked over to Naruto, and stradled his lap, a little glimmer in her eyes that made Naruto catch a lump in his throat, "Naruto...I noticed you looking at certain area when my back was turned..." she inched in closer, "...are you trying to say something?"

Naruto laughed, "I don't know...maybe I'm just caught up in your looks," he pulled her down onto the bed, "or maybe I'm just sending you subtle hints about something."

The two began another round of heated kissing and nipping, and just when Sakura was beginning to undo her shirt a cough could be heard. Naruto and Sakura both turned to face Hanabi, "Oh...um...what's the matter Hanbabi-chan?"

Hanabi smiled, holding back a giggle, "Sorry...but we're going to be having a meeting in ten minutes in the dining chambers. Kakashi-sensei sent me to get you."

Sakura nodded, "Thank you, Hanabi. We'll be there in a few minutes."

After Hanabi left, Naruto continued his attack on Sakura's collarbone and neck, and she let out a moan as she forced herself to push away. Naruto pouted, "Aw, come on, Sakura...we've got ten minutes."

Sakura let out a sigh, half of her mind telling her to just lock the labroom door and take the blond right in front of her and just...she shook her head, "I know...but it might be important and-" she was cut short as Naruto's lips silenced her. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she closed them, giving into Naruto's silent requests.

Screw it, ten minutes was ten minutes. Besides, the meetings never started until everyone was there. Kakashi wouldn't be there for at least fifteen.

-ooOoo-

Iruka sat with his arms folded as twenty minutes had passed since the meeting was supposed to start. He was about to begin with everyone but Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto present when two sounds of footsteps echoed from the hall leading down to the lower chambers. Naruto and Sakura entered the dining chambers, each sporting a fair blush on their face. Sakura's hair seemed a bit messed up, and Naruto's hitai-ite seemed to be off center a bit; that never happened, since Naruto continually made sure the thing was on perfectly.

"Um...sorry, we had to run a few extra-"

"Just sit down, Sakura. We know what happened, and we won't bother you and Naruto about it." Anko said as she grinned at the young couple. It was common knowledge of how intimate Naruto and Sakura were. So common was the knowledge that Hana asked that sound proof seals be placed in Naruto and Sakura's room so they wouldn't wake everyone up at night.

A few seconds later, Kakashi appeared with a puff of smoke, "Sorry...I took a wrong turn in the upper hallway and-"

"Whatever, let's get this started already." Iruka said, and the three took a seat. Iruka looked everyone over, a dead serious look on his face, "I'm sure you're all aware of how bad it's gotten out there in the past couple of weeks."

Everyone nodded. Truth was, they didn't need to even see it to know just how bad. When they did their weekly scouting run of the mountain, they could hear the screams of the infected echo down in the lower regions of the countryside. It was not the most welcome sound to hear in the middle of the night.

Asuma decided to continue, "From what we gathered, the infected have been getting more desperate for blood, and are killing each other off at a steady pace. It's literally become a warzone out there. Apparantly a few have regained most of their chakra control it seems too. I'm still confident that we're safe up here, but for how much longer, I'm not so sure..." a grave silence hung in the air for a few moments before Konan spoke up.

"I suggest we send out a scouting party of ten people to search around the mountains for a possible location to relocate if things get too dangerous for us. We may have the advantage of safety and being able to go on longer without food or nutrients, but we are still outnumbered."

Gaara nodded, "That's true. Not to mention we still haven't recieved a letter from the other group of Suna nin..." he frowned a bit, "I think it's safe to assume they're all dead or infected now."

Naruto spoke up, "Well, if we're sending out a party to scout around, I'm going with. I'm the only one who's immune, so I can hold them off if we're attacked."

Kakashi sighed, "Naruto, if they can't infect you, they can still kill you. While it is good to know that you and Sakura are immune to infection, it's a risk to send you out."

Naruto growled, "I _said_ I'm going!"

"This isn't up for discussion, Naruto." Kakashi said with a slight edge in his voice. Naruto sighed, knowing that Kakashi had a point, "Besides, we need you and Sakura to continue research. If there's a possibility for a cure, than we need to find it." Kakashi finished, ending on a gentler note. It wasn't that Kakashi didn't trust Naruto...he just didn't want to lose him or any of those he was close to. He didn't want that to happen again.

After an hour of discussion, it was decided that the ten people would be composed of Deidara, Anko, Iruka, Shizune, Lee, Shino, Asuma, Gaara, Kiba, and Hinata. They would search the range for four days maximum, if they found anything before that time, they were to report back immediately.

As the ten people prepared to leave, Kakashi stopped Asuma, "Listen...if you're not back within four days...we're going to have to assume the worst, and possibly leave this place."

Asuma nodded, "Take care of Kurenai while I'm gone...she's stubborn, but she needs help every now and then."

Kakashi nodded, and gave a smile under his mask, "Take care of yourself out there."

Asuma nodded, and headed over to say goodbye to Kurenai and the others. Kakashi sighed. For some odd reason, he couldn't shake this horrible premonition that something bad was going to happen...

-ooOoo-

A few small villages in the central region of River Country had managed to hold onto their land against the infection. Be it luck, or just that they were far enough away from the main outbreaks, they didn't know. However, they were willing to do whatever was needed to protect their land; even going as far as fighting against neighboring settlements for the land. Two men watched as one of the said villages was currently burning to the ground after having fought a small battle with another village.

Kisame and Itachi had seen this coming weeks ago. They had stopped with the whole 'infected exterminators' act, and simply went about it the shinobi way; steal and kill if necessary. The two had become somewhat adjusted to laying low at all times since the infected were active during both day and night like normal shinobi and citizens were. They fought the hunters only when necessary, even though Kisame was always itching to swing his giant blade to pass some time.

Itachi's sight had become a little worse as time passed. Itachi wouldn't admit it, but he was actually a bit thankful that Kisame and him had become familiar with each other over the years. Kisame found things were always more interesting with the Uchiha, so they had come to a silent agreement that they would help each other in order to survive. It was only logical, as Itachi put it.

Kisame chuckled as the two stood in a forested area watching the flames, "Heh, you know, I could do them a favor and put out that fire for them."

Itachi knew Kisame was joking, but nevertheless shook his head, "That would do us more harm than good. We'd draw unwanted attention, and possibly get the infected to hunt us down."

Kisame nodded, "Yeah, but it would be interesting to have another battle with those freaks. Samehade hasn't tasted chakra in quite awhile now."

Itachi looked at his friend through normal black irises. Itachi had started keeping his Sharingan inactive whenever possible now, "Yes, it's been close to a week since our last skirmish with any infected. It seems that their numbers really are dropping."

Kisame and Itachi headed into the forested area, and found a shaded spot to rest. They had been on the move for three whole days now with no more than two hour breaks every ten hours. Not that they couldn't handle it, but they were still human.

Kisame cooked some fish from a nearby brook and the two silently ate. They put out the fire with soil to avoid smoke after they finished, and sat there as night began to sink into the countryside, "Itachi...what exactly will you do once you meet up with that little brother of yours?"

Itachi blinked as he looked up into the canopy of thick pines, "I will achieve a power that hasn't been seen by the Uchiha for ages, and I will become more powerful than the very man who founded my clan."

Kisame smirked, "Heh, looks like you've got it all planned out. Whatever the case, it'll be interesting to go along for the ride I suppose."

The two nuke-nin continued walking through the forest as the sun began to set. Eventually it was night out, and the two found shelter in a large tree for the night. As the choir of crickets played their tune, Kisame and Itachi kept watch over the area.

"You know...if the infection continous to spread at the rate it is right now, soon their going to starve themselves of blood." Kisame said quietly as Itachi nodded.

"That may be, but not all the infected are in such a hopeless situation. Konoha for instance, is running on a system where the infected lend blood to each other, namely spouses and family members." the stoic man replied as he closed his eyes, "They should be considered just as intelligent as us, just more feral in demeanor."

Kisame smirked, "Hmmph, I still haven't seen of them with the ability to really put up a fight."

Itachi grunted, "That's simply because most of them are of Chunin rank or lower. The more powerful infected are in the major settlements, running the place. It's almost as if they're learning to adapt..."

"What do you mean?" Kisame said, already starting to paint a picture of what Itachi was getting to in his mind.

"Kisame, what I'm saying is, the infected will learn to adapt, and survive. The infected can still reproduce, just like an ordinary human...and their infection is carried on to the next generation." Itachi said, his voice even more grave than usual.

Kisame chuckled a bit, "Damn...this is just getting worse and worse for us."

Itachi shrugged, "It seems that way now, but in due time, things _will _turn in our favor." Itachi opened his eyes, and looked up into the sky, _'All will change, as soon as I find you, Sasuke...and I will achieve power greater than that of Madara Uchiha himself...'_

-ooOoo-

Deidara, Anko, Iruka, Shizune, Lee, Shino, Asuma, Gaara, Kiba, and Hinata sat in a small circle in a little section of a gully in between two mountains. They had been moving all day, and night was now upon them. They ate their food cold, and spoke very little. It was a relief that there was only a slight breeze; if winds were to strong, their scent may get carried on the wind, and that could spell trouble.

"Man...this mountain range is huge..." Kiba said as he took a look around, recieving a quiet bark from Akamaru, "Yeah, I bet there's tons of wild game around here too, Akamaru."

Deidara nodded, "Mostly some medium sized rodents and mountain goat. A few birds nest around the higher regions, but only in the spring and summer. We'll have to prepare for winter in another month, and that's never a fun thing."

"Just how bad are we talking with snowfall?" Anko asked as she chewed on a skewer she made from a small twig that had been holding some vegetables and fruit.

"Hm...depends on the humidity in the south. Judging by rainfall we've had in Rain and Grass Country in the past two months, we could be talking around ten to twelve feet by mid December. We've got about a month and a half or so. Either way, when I say winter is bad in the mountains, I mean it, un." Deidara took another bite of his ration bar as he finished.

"It's a good thing that we gathered enough winter clothes then when we went to that village a month ago," Iruka spoke, earning a nod from the group, "I don't know how most of us will do with the cold; Konoha doesn't get an annual snowfall, in fact, it only snows maybe once or twice every three to four years, and that may only be for a week's time."

"Suna had never had snow since the day it was founded. Only the northern regions of Wind Country ever experience anything close to it. We hardly recieved any rain, and the annual thunderstorms during the rainy season usually passes by us." Gaara spoke.

The group continued their quiet conversation, sharing their thoughts on how they believed would be the best approach to making it through the winter. As the chilly air blew over the group, Akamaru's nose twitched, as did Kiba's.

"Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked quietly, and everyone else became quiet as the Inuzuka and his canine partner sniffed the air.

"Hinata...check about two kilometers southwest of us if you can..." Kiba spoke quietly, and everyone grew silent as Hinata activated her kekkai genkai.

She seemed to focus on something intently from the said direction, then her eyes grew wide, "We have to move, there's a small group of infected headed in our general direction, but they seem to be only foraging for a meal. If we can move quickly, we may be able to lose them before they even know we're here."

The group got their things packed, and with the use of Asuma's _Fuuton_ techniques and Gaara's manipulation of the surrounding minerals, they managed to kill the scent almost completely. The mild breeze was blowing to their backs, so they could keep their location hidden from the infected as they retreated.

Several minutes later, the group found a small slope west of where they had camped, three kilometers away from where the infected now were. The group looked over the slope, and watched as the infected looked around the place.

"I don't sense anything," spoke one of them, picking up a hanful of soil and sniffing it, "There's no scent around here either..."

"Damn it!" growled a kunoichi wearing a Rain hitai-ite, "We can't go on like this for much longer!"

"Tch, if we weren't following under _your_ command, then maybe we'd be feeding by now." grumbled a rather large Iwa nin.

Without a single warning, the Ame kunoichi took out a blade and slashed at the Iwa-nin's throat. He clutched his neck, and blood spurted out as he choked and gurgled on the crimson fluid, "I've had about enough complaining from you." she slashed at the man's chest, causing further bleeding, and a second later he was dead.

"Looks like we have ourselves a meal," spoke another Iwa nin, and the infected began to drain the blood. Hinata put a hand over her mouth, and a few others in the group looked away.

"We should go..." whispered Asuma, and the others agreed silently. They leapt off, hoping to maybe seek shelter in a small cave for the night. The fact that the infected were now hunting around the mountains now didn't help though.

-ooOoo-

Ino walked through the streets of Konoha as it was slowly being rebuilt. Yes, unlike most of the infected communities, Konoha had retained its unity and decided to continue as it had...sort of. Missions were no longer given from the outside, instead the shinobi were simply assigned from the higher ups in Konoha. Ino was among the few that had retained all of her chakra control, and was therefore a force to be reckoned with. She was currently heading to the currently-being-repaired Hokage Tower. She walked into the building, and after several minutes of climbing stairs, she reached the large wooden doors of the Hokage's office.

She knocked, and recieved a reply, "Enter."

Ino walked in and stood face to face with Konoha's new leader, "You requested me, Yamato-sama?"

The man, who was really named Tenzou, nodded, "I have a job for you, Ino. We've captured a rogue-nin who was southwest of Fire Country's borders. He was alone, and is wearing a black cloak with red cloud patterns on it..."

She raised an eyebrow, "You mean...?"

Yamato nodded, "Yes...he's part of Akatsuki..."

Ino nodded, "So...what do we know so far?"

Yamato turned serious, "He says his name is Hidan...and so far he is unable to be killed by any means. We would have just killed him right when we saw him, but he slaughtered an entire team of Jounin using some kind of ninjutsu involving a seal...having him infected in our village would be a danger..." Yamato's face darkened, "Be careful...he's short tempered, and won't hesitate to kill. He's essentially immortal, but he _can_ still feel pain it seems. He's currently being held in cell one hundred twenty-two. See what information you can get from him in regards to the organization he's part of by any means necessary."

Ino nodded, and with a short bow, vanished in a puff of smoke. Yamato sighed as she left. He had taken over the office of Hokage, yet he didn't call himself that. The Konoha that would have had a Kage was long gone. He was a 'Boss Jounin' more or less. He was essentially the strongest shinobi in the village now, and his experience as an ANBU captain helped. He turned back to some reports he had, knowing that sooner or later he'd have to send out another hunting party to see if there were any surviving people out there. The job was tough, but Konoha safety was worth it.

"I think I know why Tsunade turned to drinking now..." Yamato groaned as he looked at a stack of files on the reports from some of his ANBU squads. It seems that aside from Hidden Cloud and Hidden Mist that Konoha was the only other remaining village that maintained a sense of order that was infected.

Yamato planned on keeping it that way too...

-ooOoo-

Ino walked down the gloomy halls of the high security cells of Konoha's ANBU prison headquarters. She shuddered as the air grew colder. Along with her were two ANBU and several Jounin. She looked around and noticed the lighting was hardly helping her as she walked.

"Anything else I should know about this Hidan guy?" Ino asked as she turned to the leader of the group of ANBU.

"He claims that he and his partner had been ambushed by a group of infected Oto-nin, and that he managed to get out alive. He later encountered our group, and slaughtered most of them before we could restrain him." the ANBU captain replied.

Ino nodded, and continued on her way to the cell labeled 122. She took in a deep breath, and opened the door.

On the far side of the cell sat a man with white hair. He was quite tall, and probably stood at least a foot taller than her. He was held by chains with chakra restraints written on them. He was still wearing his cloak, and overall looked worse for wear.

"So...finally come to try and beat some answers out of me, eh?" Hidan smirked, and looked at Ino, "Oh, you're sending a little kunoichi to take care of me?" The man laughed at the idea, "You idiots, I thought I proved my point by killing that first group of you. He shook his head, and merely grinned at the group.

"We'll have two of our ANBU stay with you while the rest of us stay outside the cell, Ino-san." spoke the captain, and two of his ANBU stood on either side of the door while the others exited.

Ino nodded and began to make the proper seals, "I'm not going to beat you if that's what you're thinking...I plan on scanning your memories, and getting what I can on Akatsuki's status." she finished the seals, "_**Seishin Sousa no Jutsu**_!"

Ino fell to the ground, and one of the ANBU caught her as Hidan's head drooped. Several minutes passed, and Ino eventually woke up. She blinked and shuddered a bit, "That guy's a nutcase..."

Hidan woke up as she said that, "Nutcase? At least I don't go and kill others to _feed_ on them!" he sneered, "Hey, what do I have to do to get a meal around here? I may be immortal, but I do like to eat every now and then."

Ino got up, "So...you know next to nothing on Akatsuki's current status..."

Hidan shrugged, "Aside from the fact that it's been disbanded, exactly." Hidan frowned, "Now...is there anything else you need, or can you leave me be?"

Ino nodded, "I got what I needed. Yamato-sama will see what shall be done with you now." Ino turned with the two ANBU and left Hidan in the dark of the cell again. As they left, the sound of Hidan yelling for some food echoed throughout the hall.

"I suggest you get him some food...he's not someone you want to get on the bad side of..." Ino said as she continued down the hall. One of the Jounin nodded, and said he would inform the prison workers staff of this.

-ooOoo-

It had been two days since a group of the survivors had set out to scout the surrounding mountains. Deidara, Anko, Iruka, Shizune, Lee, Shino, Asuma, Gaara, Kiba, and Hinata had found two potential areas, one was a medium sized cave in the side of cliff. The other was a smaller cave carved in a mountain. Both were rather hard to notice, but they had managed to find them. They would suffice if things required them to retreat to a new location.

They were currently heading back to the hideout, and another day would be all the time they needed. Deidara was right however, since the first bit of snowfall was seen today. Nothing to big, but it was noticeable.

"We should probably pick up the pace, since it'll be getting colder soon. We're lucky that we started heading back now. Another day out here may end up being hazardous to us, un." Deidara spoke, giving them all a concerned look, "How is everyone holding up back there?"

Iruka, who was following behind the blonde man, gave a weary sigh, "We're fine. Shino can't use his kikaichu in this cold, but otherwise we're okay."

Deidara nodded, and continued to lead the group back to the hideout. He decided to lead them down a less likely route to be traveled. He was happy to see that his decision had been a good one. Thanks to Asuma's wind techniques, their trail of footprints was covered by blowing snow over them. The fact that the tracks were hard to see as it was only further helped.

As night approached, they found yet another decent sized cavern to add to the list of possible retreats. They decided to camp inside it for the night. The night brought a cloudless sky, and the snow stopped. Eventually, only a cold wind blew through the air.

Hinata shivered as she felt the wind blow through the cavern. Her jacket was thick...as far as _warm_ weather clothes went. This was not a warm weather climate. The mountains of Earth Country were merciless, according to Deidara. Kakashi had also agreed when he once spoke during a meeting of how long it took for a team of Konoha ANBU to cross the mountains during the Third Secret War.

Kiba noticed Hinata shivering, and smiled, "Hinata, come over here by Akamaru and I."

Hinata smiled with a light blush, and nodded. She picked up her blanket and walked over to her teammate, and sighed as she felt herself get pulled into his arms, "Thanks, Kiba-kun."

He gave nod, and looked over to Shino, who was also resting by Akamaru's otherside for warmth, "How are you doing, Shino"

Shino gave a nod, and that was enough for the Inuzuka. Spending so many years with Shino had that kind of affect on you; you learned to read silent gestures better.

Asuma sat on the ground a few feet away from the three, reading over a small novel about a swordsman in some fictional kindgom with a very small light. It was actually a fairly good read, he decided. His quilt—which Kurenai insisted he bring—was quite comfortable.

Gaara was quite a comical scene, if anyone had the courage to laugh at him. He had managed to keep himself warm with a blanket, and was also using his sand to keep insulatation in as well. It wasn't the most pleasant of methods, but he would rather be warm than cold.

Lee had opted to wearing the giant winter jacket Tenten had decided to get him. It was one of his early birthday gifts, she explained. He was currently sleeping in it while wrapped in his sleeping bag as well. The only sign that it was him under all the layers of clothing was the two thick eyebrows and black hair of his.

Shizune was wrapped in her sleeping bag, and three other blankets as well. She had never been a fan of cold weather, so she had opted for as much warmth as possible. She was reading over a medical scroll with a similar light like Asuma's. She would be going to sleep shortly, but figured she'd need something to help her fall asleep. Reading over chakra coils was always easy to help her fall asleep.

Deidara had admitted that he was actually not that bothered by the cold, having grown up in Iwagakure. That claim did little to help Hinata's conscience, and he begrudgingly accepted a warm sweater and sweatpants from one of the other guys upon her insistence. He did admit though, she was indeed a caring girl.

Lastly was a rather humorous scene of Anko and Iruka. The two had managed to combine their sleeping bags together, and were now currently sleeping in a corner of the cavern a little ways from the others. The occasional snore from Iruka let them know they were both okay.

"Deidara..." spoke the calm voice of Gaara.

Deidara looked over to the former Kazekage, "Yeah?"

Gaara spoke quietly, "I would like to let you know that after seeing how you've helped us like you said you would, that I've come to finally forgive all that you had done to me and my village in the past." Gaara nodded, "Thank you."

Deidara quirked an eyebrow, "Heh, no problem Gaara. I'm just glad that we can finally put the past behind us, I guess. We'll need to stick together if we ever hope on surviving this winter, let alone the infection. Thanks."

Gaara gave a shadow of a smile, which surprised Deidara, "Naruto actually was the one to help convince me that you deserve a second chance. He says you indirectly helped him get together with Sakura...though I was certain they were together before we meet up with them. Something about a broom closet...and training..."

Deidara laughed quietly, "Ah, that. Heh, those two are by far the oddest couple...no, wait, Temari and Shikamaru are."

Gaara nodded, "Indeed. I don't know what Nee-san see's in Shikamaru sometimes. He's a good man...but I sometimes think she's got a weird tastes."

As the moon casted its glow over the quiet night in the mountain range of Earth country, the ten shinobi rested peacefully. They would make it back to the hideout by midday tomorrow, making it only three days since they left.

**end of Chapter Twelve- Hmmm...well, I guess this will be where I stop twelve. As you can see, things are looking bleak for some of the infected as well as the survivors. Makes sense, since they need a bloodmeal in order to stay alive...but infecting whoever they do not kill kind of makes life difficult. A few little factors have been thrown into the mix now, since I like to keep things interesting. Expect major happenings next chapter...and then some. Again, reviews and comments are always welcome! Well, until we meet again, happy reading! **

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Jutsu notes:**

_**Rasengan**_ (Spiral Sphere)- (original)- This technique was originally developed over a three year period by Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage, who was also Naruto's father. The technique requires pure shape manipulation of chakra and needed no handseals. The user forms their chakra into a spinning ball of chakra, which creates a powerful force in the size that can fit into their palm. It required several steps, and according to Kakashi, who along with Jiraiya, also learned the technique, is unfinished. Naruto would later add the element of wind to it, furthering its steps to completion.

_**Fuuton: Rasengan**_ (Wind Release: Spiral Sphere)- (original)- This was the result of Naruto's added step in training with the Rasengan with his wind elemental chakra (1). This is essentially a Rasengan with the added wind element in it as well. It's much more difficult to produce, and even Minato himself was unable to do it. In order to do so, Naruto needed two clones to help with the procedure; one to help form the Rasengan and maintain it with Naruto, and the other clone to help with applying the wind chakra. The task of adding two different types of chakra proved challenging, but it was done in the end with good results; Naruto's new jutsu proved to be much more devastating than a simple Rasengan was capable of, and could produce a large crater when slammed into the ground.

(1) No, Naruto doesn't know the Rasenshuriken yet. That will occur later, I'm sure. You have to remember that Yamato was part of that training of Naruto's, since he helped with his ability to control the Kyuubi inside Naruto while he worked on the final steps.

_**Seishin Sousa no Jutsu**_ (Mind Search Technique)- (mine)- A technique developed by Ino Yamanaka. Much like the Yamanaka clan's _**Shintenshin no Jutsu**_, this jutsu requires Ino to enter the body of their target. Ino's body goes lifeless, and both she and the victim go unconscious. Ino scans the victims mind for any needed information, and then she will exit the body to return to her own. In the meantime while she scans their mind, Ino's body is exposed to attack from enemies as well as attack while she is in the victim's body.


	13. Desperation

**Disclaimer: You know what? Instead of me owning Naruto, I think the people behind the Naruto Abridged series would do better with owning it...they make Kakashi awesome on there...anyway, I don't own Naruto**

**Outbreak Part II**

**Chapter Thirteen: Desperation**

The group of ten had made it back from their scouting trip, and gave the information on the possible points that would serve as hideouts if they were found. A few weeks had passed and winter was now fully upon them.

They had stockpiled on goods and were now conserving for the long haul of winter, as Deidara had advised they do. Food was no longer as plentiful, and almost all vegetation was had either died off or went dormant when winter hit.

One of the members of the group who had worried about being stuck inside was Lee. He was not happy at first about the whole predicament, but after seeing the gift Tenten got for him, he was happier.

Tenten had gone all out for her 'now official boyfriend' and found Lee a gym workout set. She managed to get it all into a single scroll, and Lee had been overjoyed when he was given an entire gym weight set for his training. He was now keeping busy by jogging with the weights throughout the cave hideout. It was a normal sight to see him jogging around, speaking of keeping the flames of youth strong during the winter.

Aside from that, everyone kept their normal training routines going. Everything had become sort of normal...or so they thought...

-ooOoo-

Sakura had been spending the past seven hours down in the lab with Shizune trying to find a cure for the infection. Shizune had retired for the night about two hours ago, and it was now just Sakura and a sleeping Naruto in the lab.

Sakura was watching a recent experiment on the virus through her microscope...that's when she noticed something.

"Now way..." she breathed, "...Naruto! Naruto, wake up!"

The blonde stirred a bit, and then looked to Sakura, "Huh? What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura looked up, a smile on her face, "Naruto, I think I did it!"

Naruto's eyes widened, "Seriously?!" Sakura nodded. She ushered Naruto to the microscope, and he looked into the lens. He noticed what appeared to be the virus getting destroyed by some kind of cells that were large and white, "So...what did you do?"

Sakura beamed, "Well, I don't think I can explain it simply, but I'll say this. I managed to inject a small portion of the Kyuubi's chakra into your white blood cells, and then combined your white blood cells with my own. The chakra of the Kyuubi was soon able to be handled by mine after exposure and some chakra therapy from me. Anyway, I managed to get a treatment where the cells in the experiment were able to identify the virus and fight it off." she laughed, "I finally did it!"

Naruto grinned, "Sakura, this is great! We can make the others immune to the infection, and maybe even cure the infected people!"

Sakura nodded, but her smile lessened, "Well...we're not sure yet if this will work the same on an infected or a non-infected..." she looked at a small vial of liquid, and then spoke, "Naruto, I need to do a test...and I think I should start with myself..."

Nodding, Naruto got up and got some water for her. He knew from experience with her and tests that having some water in her system was always a good thing. She drank the glass down, and then too a syringe and filled it with the slightly red fluid in the vial.

"Naruto...I'm going to need you to inject this into my system, and you have to be quick about it. I'm not sure what the side-effects will be, so I could start having a seizure, I could start bleeding internally..." Sakura spoke as she handed him the syringe filled with the pale crimson liquid.

He held the syringe, and spoke quietly, "Where should I inject it?" Sakura answered by pointing at a spot where her shoulder and neck met. He nodded, and steeled himself, "Sakura...I'm going to inject the fluid into now." He walked up behind her and sat her down in front of him on the lab bed, and wrapped one arm around her waistline.

Without any further warning, Sakura felt the prick of the syringe go in. Naruto quickly injected the syringe of it's contents, and removed it just before Sakura began to arch her back. She made hissing sounds, and Naruto noticed her eyes dilate. Naruto held her as she tried to thrash about, and spoke, "It's okay Sakura...this is going to work..."

Sakura's breathing became strained for a few seconds, and she growled as she almost threw herself and Naruto to the ground. Naruto kept his grip on her, his face buried into her neck, silently praying this would work.

Then it stopped. Sakura went limp, and Naruto feared the worse until he noticed a light breathing. He rested her on the bed, and waited to see if she would do anything further. Nothing...he noticed no subtle change...he put two fingers over her neck. Her pulse was relatively normal, considering she had just been flailing around. He opened an eye, and noticed they looked relatively the same—considering she had slit-like irises.

Soon it was almost morning, and Naruto was fallen asleep in a chair nearby. Sakura had been out for almost two hours, and Naruto had decided that he would get help as soon as he woke up if she wasn't awake by then.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she groaned. She felt a fine layer of sweat on her, and noticed that her clothing was wrinkled. Sakura got up from her bed...and noticed something different. She didn't know how to pinpoint it...but something felt different. She couldn't hear the steady pulse of Naruto from where she was...before, if she tried hard enough she would be able to sense such things. She walked over to a mirror, and opened her mouth. Her fangs were still there. She examined her eyes; still slits. She looked relatively the same as before, but something was different.

She walked over to her boyfriend, and smiled; he had been watching over her this whole time? She decided to experiment a bit more, and gave Naruto's neck a small nip. Usually if she did so, the urge to feed would rise up within her. Now though, she felt the coppery life-blood touch her tongue, and she felt nothing. She quickly healed Naruto's wound, and felt herself tearing up...

...she was cured...

-ooOoo-

Naruto cracked open an eye as he felt the gentle nudging of Sakura on his shoulder. He yawned, and smiled to her, "Oh, Sakura-chan, you're awake." He grinned, and noticed her smirking, "Uh...what's the matter?"

"Nothing...absolutely nothing." she answered, and the next minute found Naruto lip locked with the pink haired girl as she straddled his lap. Not a bad wake up call at all.

-ooOoo-

Lee and Sasuke were sitting at the table that morning with Tenten and a very groggy Hana Inuzuka and three hungry dogs.

"Hana-san, are you certain you do not wish for me to make you the special remedy tea to help one feel energetic during cold mornings?" Lee asked for the third time. Hana groaned, and shook her head.

"Lee, while I appreciate your concern, I think I'm best with just a cup of coffee and some fruit in the morning." Hana replied with a yawn. Lee nodded, and continued drinking the tea that he and Tenten were drinking. The weapon-specialist already was used to downing the liquid back in her days as a Genin, so she knew that it was worth bearing the rather bitter taste.

Sasuke was eating some toast with jam, and was about to go get some juice for himself when he heard the familiar laughter of his two teammates. He looked up, and let a small smile cross his face. Honestly, he had no idea why, but seeing the two together like this just made him content. The two were like two parts to a puzzle, and he figured it had been a long time coming for the two to get together..

"Morning, guys." Sakura chirped, and Lee gave Sakura and Naruto a youthful grin while Tenten waved, Hana grunted as kindly as she could, and Sasuke nodded while taking another bite. It was commonplace to see these four up before everyone else. Hana, even if she hated it, was an early riser. Sasuke was naturally up at first light, and so were Lee and Tenten.

Tenten seemed to notice that Naruto and Sakura were smiling a bit more than usual. She had a few ideas why; those two were noisy sometimes when they engaged in certain activities, "What are you two so happy about?"

Sakura smiled, "I guess now is as good as ever. I was going to wait until everyone else was awake, but..." she shrugged, and looked at the four before continuing, "...everyone...we've found a cure...and I'm proof of it."

...silence...

Sasuke was the first to speak, "...are you for real?"

Naruto nodded, "Sakura may look the same, but she hasn't fed on blood for almost twenty hours now. Her longest period without it was about sixteen to seventeen, and she was drained by that time."

"I don't even like the taste of it anymore." Sakura added.

Tenten went wide eyed, "Sakura, this is great! Are you saying that we have a way to cure the infected?"

Sakura held up a hand, "Now, I'm not for certain on _that_, but I think with some alterations, we can get that settled. Since I am not _fully_ infected, it may need to be changed a bit in order to be able to cure the infected. However...I think I have a vaccine for all of us here that can give us _immunity_ to the virus."

Hana was now wide awake, "Can this work on our dogs too?"

Sakura shrugged, "If you're willing to help, I'm sure we can work out a vaccine for Akamaru and your dogs as well, Hana."

That day, the news was spread among the twenty-two survivors in the mountain range of Earth Country. Within three day's time, a vaccine for the Inuzuka's dogs was made, and within a week, the vaccine for the survivors was also made. The month of December marked a time that stood out among these otherwise hopeless times, though. Sakura Haruno had made a cure for the virus that caused so much death...and it couldn't have been at a better time...

...the infected were getting desperate.

-ooOoo-

Itachi Uchiha and Kisame sat under a large tree, guarded from the downpour that was occuring in northern Fire Country. The two men had been on the move to keep themselves from the now chaotic situation that was the hunters' massive search for blood. Itachi's eyesight was only slightly worse than what it was previously, and the two were a bit on the thin side from a lack of good food, but they were still deadly men. If anything, deadlier, since they now would kill for food if they really felt like it.

Kisame looked up from a tree branch, and grunted to Itachi. Itachi looked up, and listened as he looked in the general direction that Kisame nodded to.

Off in the distance was the faint outline of a group of what must have been thirty or so infected. Shinobi too, Itachi noted, as he could feel the faint aura of chakra from the group, "Move to the upper branches...we could be in for a fight."

Kisame nodded, and hopped up with Itachi into the upper part of the massive tree. Moments later, the infected were under the tree, and one of them gave the signal to stop.

"What's up?" asked one of the ninja, a Hyuuga. Itachi cursed to himself as he noticed this.

"We're not alone," spoke the leader of the group, a Jounin of Konoha. Kisame and Itachi exchanged looks, and nodded.

Before further words could be said from the group, a loud shout was heard over the rain, "_**Suiton: Baku Suishouha**_!!"

The thirty or so infected looked up just in time to be blasted down by a massive waterfall that soon flooded the general vicinity. Kisame made a few handseals, and the waves sent the infected off southward. He grinned, and looked to Itachi, who spoke, "Right, now let's move before they regroup."

The two ninja disappeared in a puff of smoke, and now only the infected were among the soaking forest, "What the hell was that?" grumbled a Chunin, getting up from the now muddy ground.

"It was a water jutsu of sorts...but theres no body of water around here...and that was too much for rain to provide..." replied another ninja from the group.

The leader stood up and spoke, "Well, this means that there may be a few survivors around here. We continue our search as planned, and report to Yamato-sama in a week's time. Now, let's move out!"

There was a murmur of agreement, and the group of infected shinobi jumped off in the direction they believed would lead them to possible targets.

-ooOoo-

It was the middle of January when the snowfall had reached a point that it was constant, never stopping. Kurenai was now about six months pregnant, and it was showing. She wouldn't admit it, but she was now unable to move like she used to. That didn't give her the excuse to stay healthy though.

"Kurenai-sensei, please, you shouldn't be walking around so much." Sakura said with a slight hint of irritation.

"Sakura, I'm perfectly fine, just a little sore." Kurenai said with a stubborn sigh, and took a seat in one of the living room's chairs after Sakura had all but forced her into it.

"You're in the end of the second trimester, and I will not allow you to be overexerting yourself. The baby's health, as well as your health, comes first." Sakura replied with a stern 'I'm a Medic-nin and there is no room for argument' look.

"Hmm, well, then I suppose giving me the vaccine was exempt from that rule of health for the baby and myself?" Kurenai asked, smirking as Sakura sighed.

"That is different. First off, the vaccine has no serious side effects on those who take it, and hopefully your immunity will be passed down to the baby as well." Sakura smiled, her slightly enlarged canines showing just under her upper lips. Kurenai couldn't help but smile back. The girl had a point; the vaccine was nothing short of a miracle. Everyone was now immune to the virus, and she had discovered a counter for the infected as well.

"So..." Kurenai started, "...do you ever fool around with Naruto with those canines of yours?"

Sakura gave Kurenai a shocked look, but then scanned the room a bit before adding in a quiet voice, "Sometimes. With me no longer needing blood though..we sort of have to find better excuses now."

Kurenai chuckled, and after seeing the embarassed blush on the girl's face, spoke, "Oh, Sakura, stop feeling so embarassed. What you and Naruto do is perfectly normal. Your a teenager, for crying out loud, there is nothing to be ashamed of in acting like one."

Sakura was about to speak when the sound of running was heard. Moegi appeared in the room, breathing frantically, "Sakura, Kurenai-sensei! We have to meet in the fourth floor meeting room, now!"

Kurenai, Sakura, and Moegi ran up the flight of stairs, not moving too fast for Kurenai's sake, and when the got to the designated room, they opened the door to see the others sitting in the room on the floor or any furniture. Naruto got up from his spot on a couch so Kurenai could sit down. As soon as everyone was situated, Konan spoke.

"Our security seals detected movement, and Tenten's trip wires have indicated that there is indeed a group of infected outside our base. We haven't figured out if they've found us out yet, but we can only assume they're going to search around here for awhile." the blue haired woman spoke as the others listened intently, "We need to get everything packed that we can into scrolls and be ready to leave at a moment's notice," she turned to Kakashi and Naruto, "Kakashi, Naruto, you two are the best with Shadow Clones, so I think it would be best if you made a few for assistance with the sealing, and to provide a distraction if our base is breached."

Naruto nodded, and looked around, "I think it would be best if we split into two groups of seven and one group of eight. One should gather up the food and supplies, another can gather up everyone's clothes and necessities, and the group of eight can be ready to provide with needed defense if the infected get in."

Eventually the groups were made. The group for gathering food and supplies consisted of Shikamaru, Shizune, Sakura, Konan, Hana, Kurenai, and Kiba. The group in charge of clothing and other needs was Deidara, Tenten, Lee, Moegi, Iruka, Hanabi, and Temari.

The last group was made up of those best fit for combat at the time: Hinata, Gaara, Sasuke, Asuma, Anko, Kakashi, Shino, and Naruto. Naruto and Kakashi's Shadow Clones could be seen running around the scene as well, though there were obviously more of Naruto than Kakashi. Within an hour and a half's time, thanks in part to the clones, the area was packed up of everything that could be fit into the numerous scrolls on hand.

-ooOoo-

Almost one third of all the ninja population that had been in the village full of infected where the group of survivors had gone to get supplies those weeks back was scouring the snowy peaks of Earth Country. They were hungry, cold, and above all, short tempered. They didn't care though...for they had stumbled upon something.

"It's a seal technique, hidden underneath at least four genjutsu..." spoke an Iwa nin, and the others looking at what appeared to be a simple rock face nodded. About an hour of deciphering the sealing method had revealed a way to break through, and eventually they got it.

After performing the correct seals, a low rumbling was heard as a large boulder moved from the wall, "Well, looks like we found ourselves a little hideout here..." spoke a Kusa nin.

"I smell humans in there..." spoke a kunoichi with an Iwa hitai-ite. The others grinned, fangs bared. Today would be a most satisfying meal, they all thought.

-ooOoo-

The group of eight guarding the main hall entrance heard a series of screams and hissing, and without even waiting for a inquiry, Hinata answered with her Byakugan activated, "I can't even give you an accurate number...I'm guessing close to fifty or more heading this way..."

Kakashi cursed, but remained calm, "Okay...remember, we may be immune, but we can still be killed..." he turned to the others, "Gaara, try and see what you can do with the entrance way. We have another escape route. Naruto, get your clones ready, Shino, we'll be needing help from your kikaichu if this gets bad...which will most likely be the case..." he looked down the dark corridor, and listened as the sounds of the ravenous hunters became louder, "Now, Gaara!"

Gaara wasted no time and with two streams of sand, dislodged the roof of the corridor the infected were in. Boulders crumbled, and blocked the pathway, "That will probably hold them for a few minutes...however, if there are any Rock-nin, it may be less time than that..." Gaara replied.

Kakashi nodded, "It will do for now, let's go meet up with the others. Naruto, keep your clones here and I'll send a few of mine this way as well. Let's move!"

-ooOoo-

The twenty two ninja made there way for the back entrance, Kurenai being carried by a cloud of Gaara's sand while they ran towards the back entrance. Lee would be carrying her once they got outside since Gaara's sand would be harder to control with the wind and snow.

The sound of screaming was heard behind the group, and Naruto suddenly looked up, as well as Kakashi, "They completely annihilated our Shadow Clones," Naruto spoke, and Kakashi gave a nod.

The back entrance was in sight, and with a mighty punch, Sakura broke the boulder blocking the pathway out. As the others ran out, Deidara crafted a dozen clay spiders, and set them about the walls near the exit. He then ran off with the others while the infected headed closer to the exit.

"There they are!" roared an infected, and Deidara quickly lifted two fingers, and gave a small smirk as his clay artwork exploded, destroying the infected and sealing off the exit out of the hideout.

The group headed down the mountains, covered in winter clothing of dull white and gray colors to blend in with the environment. It seemed like they had made it past the danger when suddenly the front of the group stopped.

"So...we were right about humans being up in the mountains..." spoke an infected ninja among the vast group that stood in the path way of the survivors.

"Damn it..." muttered Asuma as he pulled out his two chakra knives. Sasuke pulled out his blade as Sakura strapped on her fingerless gloves. The others prepared themselves as well, from pulling out a dozen kunai in each hand to activating their respective bloodlines.

"Temari, give us a whirlwind..." Konan spoke, pulling out a few paper shuriken.

Temari smirked, "Give me a second." she unfurled her fan and with a mighty heave created a gust with her fan. A few infected got blown away by the initial blast, but those who remained stationary were soon tossed into the air by an icy maelstrom, and without a moment's hesitation, Konan attacked.

"_**Kami Shuriken**_!" she yelled, and tossed a few shuriken into the whirlwind. Soon blood was flying around in the wind, and after Temari let it die down, a mass of severed and slashed bodies lay strewn across the snow, "Great work, Temari."

Still, more infected were coming. Soon the group was forced into combat with their hunters. Blood was flying as infected after infected blindly ran at the ninja.

"_**Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu**_!" Sasuke launced a series of fireballs that resembled the faces of dragons, and a few cries of pain were heard as the infected were scorched by the flames.

Meanwhile, Tenten and Lee were guarding Kurenai with every possible skill in their arsenal while Kurenai cast a mild genjutsu to help make the approaching enemies have a harder time to keep up with Tenten and Lee's movements. Asuma wasn't that far from the three, slicing away at enemies with unnaturally clean cuts. Shikamaru was next to Temari providing her with back up while she flung scores of hunters down the mountain.

Moegi was next to Hanabi and Hinata, trying her best to avoid getting killed. She had just sliced open the chest of a Genin from Takigakure who was probably no older than she was. She jumped away in time to avoid a lunge from a burly male Iwa Chunin, and was relieved to see him fall on his stomach as Hinata appeared behind the infected man, palm in a thrusting position indicating she had killed the ninja with a deadly Juuken to the heart from behind, "Are you okay, Moegi-chan?" The Hyuuga woman asked, once again showing her otherwise gentle nature for her friends. Moegi gave a nod, and tossed a shuriken at a Genin that would have tried to attack Iruka and Anko.

"Watch your side, Kiba!" Naruto yelled, and said Inuzuka ducked in time to avoid getting attacked by a random Ame-kunoichi. With a quick slashing move of a kunai, Kiba killed the infected kunoichi.

"Thanks for the save, Naruto." Kiba said as he delivered a kick to another infected.

Naruto would have said something, but the sound of a familiar voice screaming made his head snap to his right. There was Sakura, a kunai in her gut, and a horde of infected preparing to attack. Naruto suddenly felt his anger rise sharply.

"Sakura!!" Naruto yelled, and with speed not normally used by the blonde, he ran to fight Sakura's attackers.

Five seconds and twelve Shadow Clones later, the entire group of shinobi that had attacked Sakura was dead where they stood. Naruto crouched down by his loved one's side, "Sakura, how bad is it?"

Sakura looked to see Naruto's canines a bit longer, and his irises were a light crimson. She had to calm him down, "I'm...I'm fine...I can have Shizune or Moegi heal me."

Naruto thought otherwise. Instead of relief, he felt his anger bubbling inside; how could he have let them hurt her? He looked to her and spoke in a low tone, "Sakura, get the others out of here; I'll hold the infected back until it's clear."

"No, Naruto, we have to stay..." she winced as she tried to get up, "...we have to stay together..."

"_I can take care of them!!" _Naruto snapped, his eyes now crimson red in the irises. Sakura saw an infected appear out of nowhere, and stab Naruto in the side.

"Heh, too slow, blondie." smirked the Chunin who appeared to be of Kusagakure. Naruto gave a grunt of pain, and yanked the weapon from his side, breathing heavily. The weapon went deep...but Naruto would be okay...

"Sakura...get...the others...out of here..." Naruto growled out, red chakra surrounding him like a faint aura. A single tail appeared behind him, and the aura around him began to bubble a bit. He let loose some chakra, and flung a few of the closer enemies away.

_**"Naruto...use my power..."**_

Naruto shook his head. He had to protect them...they tried to hurt Sakura...they tried to _kill_ Sakura...

_**"You know that without me you can't protect them...you're weak without my power..."**_

"Shut...up..." Naruto growled quietly, gripping his head. Sakura winced in pain as she tried to protect Naruto as another infected tried to attack him.

"Naruto! Naruto! Wake up!!" Sakura was scratched in the back, and kicked to the side.

"You'll all make a good meal for us..." spoke one of the infected, and he raised a sword to decapitate Naruto, a hungry look in the infected ninja's eyes.

"Naruto!!" Sakura screamed out.

_**"USE MY POWER!!"**_

Naruto ducked and grabbed the sword with his hand within the blink of an eye. The infected's jaw went slack, "What?"

Naruto was glowing with two tails, and he looked up. He turned to see a wounded Sakura. He looked around the battle ground to see a few others hurt as well such as Hanabi, Hana, and Iruka, as well as others.

"I...have to protect...them..." Naruto said in a fierce whisper, and he gripped the sword tightly, "You all are trying to kill my friends..."

The cry of pain that came as Shizune was hit by a shuriken followed by a few other yells of pain from his friends made Naruto grind his teeth, "I'm going to kill you...all of you!!"

The infected tried to pull his sword out of Naruto's grip, but Naruto instead snapped it in half. Before the man could react, he felt a searing pain in his stomach. He looked down to see his intestines spilling out. He bled from the mouth, and fell to the side.

The other hunters around Naruto backed up a bit, and a few growled as Naruto's aura began to brighten. He looked to Sakura again, and she saw a hint of sadness, "Naruto..."

"_Sakura...get the others out of here..._"Naruto's voice began to sound hoarser, and his tails of red chakra began to flicker in anticipation, "_Go!!_"

Sakura forced herself up, and ran to the others. She stumbled in pain, and took a moment to heal her wound. It seemed that the infected were beginning to head towards Naruto...almost as if they were attracted by the bloolust he was emitting, "No...please, Naruto...fight the Kyuubi..."

Kakashi noticed the rise in Naruto's power, and sensed the tainted chakra leaking out. He jumped over Sakura's side, and helped her up, "Naruto's losing control..."

"He'll be fine." Sakura said firmly, but couldn't help but tremble as she sensed the evil chakra fill the air.

Soon the others were grouping together again after eliminating the last of the infected that were attacking. The rest of the vampiric enemies were congregating around Naruto, forming a large ring around him.

Naruto seemed to notice that the others were still nearby, and he yelled at the top of his lungs, "_What are you all still doing here?! Get out of here!!_"

Sakura shook her head, "Naruto! We're not-" She paused as she felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked to see Konan of all people looking at her.

"Sakura...Naruto's trying to give us an escape. If anyone can hold them back, it's him..." she frowned a bit, "We should got while we have a chance. Naruto's thinking of us as a whole, not just himself..."

"Are you saying we should abandon Naruto?!" Sakura yelled, but Konan as well as a few others shook their heads.

Kakashi spoke, "Sakura, we won't abandon him. Naruto knows how to find us, and we can't afford to pass up on a chance to get away. We'll come back if he doesn't find us..."

Sakura forced back a few tears. She was already fearing for Naruto's life, now they were going to leave him to fight off the infected? She slowly nodded, letting her kunoichi side take over, "It's the most logical way out of this...we have an escape provided, so we should take it..."

The group reluctantly headed off towards the foothills of the mountain range as Naruto slowly watched Sakura's pink hair dissapear in the snowfall as the group left. He smiled and let out a sigh; he could fight without holding back now...

"Looks like he's alone..." spoke one of the infected, suddenly aware that the others were gone. The enemies all gave fanged grins to Naruto, he was outnumbered.

_**"How can you possibly protect them when you can't even protect her alone?"**_ spoke the Kyuubi. Naruto closed his eyes, trying to block out the voice of the demon fox.

"I'm not...weak..."

_**"You couldn't stop Sasuke from going to Orochimaru...you couldn't stop Akatsuki from killling Gaara...you let that Tsunade woman become one of them...and then she and that Toad Sage both were kill-"**_

"Stop it!!" Naruto roared, and a third tail sprouted. He began to cough up blood as a wind picked up around him. His anger boiling over.

"Kill him! He's getting to powerful!" yelled one of the infected, and the infected began to attack.

_**"If you don't use my power, she'll die!!"**_

Nooooooo!!" Naruto roared, and a blast of chakra shot out from his body, knocking back the infecteda second time.

Naruto was on his knees now, trying to hold onto his control over his mind, "No...I won't...let you...out again..."

_**"Naruto, you fool! You're too weak to fight them on your own! Use my power, and kill them all! There is no other way!"**_ Kyuubi roared within Naruto's mind, _**"They'll kill them all, Sakura included!"**_

_'She will die...'_

_'...die...'_

_'Die!'_

"...gah...no...not...Sakura..." the last thing Naruto's eyes saw where the giant bars with a paper seal on them. He felt the rancid breath of the bijuu blast over him, and he blacked out...

-ooOoo-

_**"Graaaaaaaaaawwwrgggh!!" **_was the noise that traveled throughout the mountain air. It echoed ominously as the group of survivors stopped in their tracks. Sakura was the only one that immediately recognized the sound of that voice.

"...oh no..." Sakura spoke in a voice that was more worried than afraid, "Naruto..." She stopped and looked over to see a stream of chakra blast through the air. The air reeked of killer intent, and some of ninja in the group such as Hinata, Moegi, and even Shikamaru, felt their knees shaking. This was the power of the Kyuubi?

Kakashi looked to Asuma, Anko, Kurenai, and Iruka. The only people out of the group that knew what it was like that fateful night sixteen years ago. This was nothing compared to what the Kyuubi had felt like on the night Konohagakure was almost completely destroyed.

"We have to move, now." Kakashi spoke, and slowly the others forced themselves to stand up and run again. If anything, they were no more than happy to comply. They all knew that was Naruto back there...but they didn't like the feel of the deadly chakra being emitted any more because of it.

Only one person though understood what Naruto was feeling right now the best; Gaara. He still remembered being taken over by the Shukaku...and the horrid power that came along with doing so. He gave a glance to the bright, crimson light shining over the mountain tops, and then moved with the group.

They would return for him...hopefully that would be the case. If he found them...things may end up getting ugly real quick for the group.

-ooOoo-

Only a small group of the infected was left after Naruto had decided to release Kyuubi's fourth tail. The fox-like form of Naruto turned to face the group of trembling infected, and the Jinchuuriki grinned behind his red aura, promising nothing but destruction and death.

An inhuman roar ripped through the air, and one of the other groups of infected scouring the region stopped in their tracks. If one had listened closely, they could hear the cries of about a dozen hunters who saw their deaths before their very eyes.

"What the hell...was that?" spoke a kunoichi with a Hidden Rain hitai-ite. A few others asked the same question.

"I don't know...but it can't be good..." spoke a Genin, who was trembling where he stood.

The infected decided to move away from the howling and general area that the tainted chakra was coming from...but no matter how fast they moved, it just wouldn't lessen in intensity. After fifteen minutes of running, they stopped at a small ravine, and they looked around, "I think...we lost that chakra..."

As if some kind of cue was given, a hand of red chakra shot up from the ground, slicing the infected ninja who said those words into pieces. The group followed the hand as it burrowed underground, and they looked in terror at what they saw.

"Wha-what is that...?" asked a Kusa-nin. No one moved, too scared to take a single step.

Naruto jumped down from his spot on a group of boulders, and growled. His shining white eyes scanned the group, and one word came to mind as he did so...

_'Kill.'_

The amount of slaughter that night took out more than seventy-five percent of the infected shinobi that had decided to attack the group of survivors. The remaining quarter of that group would later die from freezing. The infected village would never know what caused the vast amount of death...but they would all know what it felt like to hear those unearthly roars from the mountain range that evening. Very few slept that night as Naruto Uzumaki continued his hunt for the infected, blood lust on the mind.

-ooOoo-

Five hours had passed since the group left the hideout, and the roars from Naruto seemed to be neverending. Sakura was half hoping he'd find them, just so she knew he was alive...the other half knew that if he _did_ find them there would be trouble.

Five hours soon turned to eight, and then twelve. The group was now settled in one of the caves that was discovered more than a month ago. They all watched as the snowfall picked up with the wind speed. They slept in shifts, but even with this no one but Kurenai really slept.

Another howl of the Jinchuuriki boy echoed over the mountain range, and it sounded...closer than before. Moegi, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Sasuke were currenlty on watch. All of them were sitting near the entrance, just past the snow's reach.

"...Sakura..."

The kunoichi in question turned to the Uchiha boy, "Yeah?"

"...Naruto...is he...alright?" Sasuke asked, and Sakura frowned as she noticed the lack of confidence in his own question.

"I won't lie, Sasuke. Naruto's most likely unconscious right now...or only partially aware of what's going on. The Kyuubi is using his body as a medium for it to move around and attack. Luckily, I think Naruto's desire to kill the infected is what has been keeping him away from us." Sakura took in a deep breath, "Still...Naruto was in a lot of pain when I first saw him come out of his four tailed state. His skin was literally burnt off, and he was breathing like he had been tortured for three days straight by Ibiki and the interrogation squad..."

Sasuke nodded, "I see..."

Shikamaru looked up and turned to Sakura, "So...you're saying that in his four tailed form...Naruto's not in control?"

Sakura only nodded in reply.

Moegi looked out into the snow, and suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, "Hey...do you feel that?"

Sakura was the first to notice it. All her energy seemed to be sapped away from unseen force...then she recognized it, "Oh no. Wake up the others, now!"

Shikamaru and Moegi wasted no time, and ran to wake up the others. Sasuke looked at his former teammate and gave her a stern look, "Sakura...what's wrong?"

As he said those words, Sasuke felt a great weight hit him. He looked outside, and felt a killer intent he could only compare to about three odd years ago, back when he fought Naruto at the Valley of the End.

There in the distance, in plain sight, standing out like a neon light in the dark, was Naruto in his four tailed form. He was looking at Sakura and Sasuke. He growled a bit, and started walking to them slowly. The snow seemed to melt as he walked to them, and his nostrils picked up the familiar scent of twenty other familiar people.

His precious people...

Sakura took a step out into the snow, and Sasuke grabbed her hand, "Sakura, what are you doing?"

"He's not attacking us...look."

Sure enough, Naruto stopped and sat on a boulder about ten yards away from the cave. His chakra flaring, his tails whipping around. Yet he didn't move. He sniffed the air, and the smell of Sakura's semi-floral scent invaded his nostrils.

Sasuke remained alert, but watched as his two friends looked at each other. He guessed that if anyone knew Naruto best, it was Sakura, "Naruto...it's me. Sakura..."

Naruto took a step off the boulder, and looked at her tentatively. He studied her features. She was afraid...yet he sensed...something else.

"Naruto...please...stop this." she said quietly, forcing herself to take another step. Naruto looked to see her eyes filling with tears. She was shaking from the cold, and also from crying, "Naruto..."

**"...kra-chan..."**

Sakura let out a gasp, and noticed Naruto sit in place, not unlike a fox. She walked up to her boyfriend, and spoke, "...Naruto...are you?"

Naruto simply nodded.

Sakura let out a few tears, and smiled, "Naruto."

She was half-tempted to hold him right then and there...but his chakra would probably burn him...right?

She reached out and let him sniff her hand. He let out a content growl, and then rubbed his head against her gloved hand. It felt...warm...

Sakura noticed no burning feeling, no stinging...and her skin remained healthy and undamaged. She wrapped an arm around him, and spoke, "Baka..."

Naruto felt light headed, and the last thing he remembered was the feeling of contentment and exhaustion washing over him.

Sakura looked down to see Naruto pass out...then...

"Naruto?" she shook the Kyuubified boy, and he didn't stir, "Naruto?" Her voice was a little more worried this time. She looked to see his body was unmoving...

"Is he...okay?" Sasuke spoke, appearing next to her.

A small trickle of what appeared to be blood was coming from Naruto's mouth. She looked at the red dots in the snow, and suddenly noticed something else...

"He's not breathing..." Sakura spoke, "...I can't sense any breathing from him..." she placed a hand over his neck, and felt his temperature falling. No pulse.

"Oh no..." she spoke, "Naruto!!"

-ooOoo-

Yamato sat behind his desk in the reconstructed Hokage tower, and sighed, "Are you certain of this information being accurate?"

"Yes, Yamato-sama." spoke an ANBU captain, who stood among his group of three other ANBU teammates.

Yamato nodded. Reports from about a week ago indicated that a group of twenty-one survivors and an animal of some sort were seen just outside of Konoha's borders. The intelligence report also stated that among them were Deidara of the Hidden Rock, Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, and the former Kazekage of Suna, Gaara no Sabaku.

"Any idea where they were heading?" Yamato asked, and the ANBU captain nodded.

"Yes, they were heading southward, towards Konoha it seems."

Yamato stood up, "Very well, prepare a scouting party. I will call some individuals to join us, along with myself."

So...there were still some survivors that had avoided infection after all this time? Yamato had to see this for himself. No doubt if Kakashi along with an S-class missing nin were among the group, they were a deadly force to deal with. There was also the fact that a group of his ninja had been attacked by a water jutsu that flooded most of the forest they were scouting in. Things were sounding a bit dangerous for Konoha's forces now. Still, he wasn't going to sit around and wait for things to happen...

He was not taking chances of having Konoha destroyed a second time.

**end of Chapter Thirteen- Naruto in four tailed form...I've been wanting to write something involving that for awhile now. If you're wondering why he didn't go and kill Sakura and the others right away, don't worry, it will be explained in the upcoming chapters. Sorry for taking so long to post this; college has been busy lately, and I've been swamped with work. I finally found time to finish this chapter, so I hope you liked it. More to come still, I promise! Thanks for reading!**

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Justu notes:**

_**Suiton: Baku Suishouha**_ (Water Release: Bursting Water Collision Waves)- (original)- A techinque of Kisame's where he forms the needed handseals, and then expels a large amount of water from his gullet. This water then expands to an even greater amount, and he then can control its movements while riding on top of the waves.

_**Kami Shuriken**_ (Paper Shuriken)- (original)- An ability unique to Konan, she uses her origami skills to create bird-shaped projectiles. She then throws these paper weapons, which are capable of cutting throw enemies just like normal weapons.

_**Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu**_ (Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique)- (original)- Utilizing the fire element, the shinobi using this technique creates fireballs that resemble the heads of dragons. These fireballs are powerful enough to break through solid concrete.


	14. Homecoming

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. All characters, infected or otherwise, belong to him.**

**Outbreak Part II**

**Chapter Fourteen: Homecoming **

It had been close to four days since they entered the borders of Fire Country. They had enough food though in their storage scrolls, which helped, and they found that the number of infected had actually decreased a bit when they got deeper into the nation's borders.

"It's weird...I thought there would be more of the infected around here..." Sasuke spoke while taking point with Kiba.

"Yeah...it's kind of bothering me...Akamaru and I haven't picked up any of their scents in almost two days now...and those that we _did_ smell were either old or a _long_ ways off..."

A growl was heard behind them and the others turned to see an unconscious Naruto in his four-tailed form being carried by Lee. Lee had been a bit worried about getting burnt by the Kyuubi's chakra, but just like with Sakura, it caused no harm...which was odd.

Naruto was still unconscious, but he had stopped bleeding from the mouth. His breathing had returned to a resting rate...well, close to it at least...with Naruto having the Kyuubi's chakra cloak out and such, his overall vitals were usually slightly higher than normal.

"How is he, Lee?" Sakura asked, slowing down to check on the Jinchuuriki boy.

Lee grinned, "Naruto-kun is fine, Sakura-chan. I know he will get through this; his flames of youth burn brightly as always!"

The group eventually reached a small clearing, and the group decided to camp there for the night. While they ate in relative silence, Kakashi spoke the details of what they planned on doing.

"So...as far as I can tell, Konoha is about seven hours from here on foot...well, seven considering we go at a running pace, which is completely out of the question right now with us in enemy territory. We should probably remain under radar for now and go slowly through here. It seems that the infected are not as populated around the Hidden Leaf's borders..."

"Yeah, it makes me wonder why though. The infected around Amegakure and Iwagakure were going rampant, un." commented Deidara, receiving a nod from a few others, namely the ones who had been scouting out for other hideouts during their time in the mountains.

"Not to mention we don't know Konoha's current state right now..." Shikamaru added, "...for all we know, it's a pile of ash right now, and the infected have moved onward in search of...food."

Kakashi sighed as he looked up at the sky, "Well, I can say this much; we have about three months worth of supplies on us right now, and the land is no longer covered in snow, so we'll have a better chance of making it through this. I don't know where we can go to escape them...but we always have another option..." he picked up one of the vials of red fluid, "...we might be able to bring some of the hunters back..."

"Hold on, this is Konoha we're talking about...if it's still standing then it's no doubt littered with infected...we don't have enough of the vaccine to cure _all_ of them." Temari said while taking a bite out of a rice ball, "For all we know, they may be waiting for us. Not all of them are completely wild and raving mad in nature..."

"Hanabi and I can have our Byakugan activated while we enter Konoha's borders...we might be able to pick out any possible enemies that way..." Hinata spoke quietly while drinking some water from a canteen, "...although...the Byakugan is only so efficient with such a large area..."

"Well...there is another possible way of going about this..."

Everyone turned to Sakura, "What were you thinking, Sakura?"

"We allow ourselves to be captured. Well, some of us anyway..."

Shino nodded, "That would be a great idea, now that you mention it, Sakura. By allowing some of us to be captured, the enemy will think that they have eliminated any threat...not to mention we are immune to any infection."

"If they bite us, they'll without a doubt gain immunity as well..." Sakura added, "...there is one problem though..."

The group turned to the sleeping form of Naruto, his four tailed form still as evident as ever. Kakashi rubbed the back of his head with a befuddled look, "I don't get it. Jiraiya-sama told me that Naruto eventually regressed to his normal state while they were traveling during his training mission...it's been almost three to four days..."

Sakura, who was actually cradling said Jinchuuriki in her lap, whispered, "...I'm not leaving him..."

Konan nodded, "I believe that Sakura's presence was the main reason Naruto-kun was not attacking us when he found us. I am in favor of Sakura staying by his side until he recovers..."

"It's interesting though..." Shikamaru spoke, "I could feel the malevolent chakra practically saturating the air when he was killing those infected. Now it's like Sakura's holding a fox kit her lap. He's not even emitting anything higher than a typical chakra signature of a human being..."

The group decided the best way of going about with their plan would be to wait for the first group to be captured, then have the second group infiltrate Konoha, and start sabotaging the defenses and start curing a few of the infected to cause confusion. They would then free the captured group and begin a full wave of vaccinating the village...as best as they could, anyway.

"Sakura, worse case scenario...you may have to allow Naruto and yourself to be captured..." Kakashi spoke, finishing a rice ball.

A gentle breeze blew by, and the dogs perked up, as well as Hana and Kiba, "Kiba...you too?"

Kiba sniffed the air, and turned to Hinata, who nodded before activating her Byakugan. She scanned the area, and turned south, "Ah..." she let out a gasp, "...there's at least thirteen shinobi heading this way. They're about three miles from our location, and they seem to be moving in a standard scouting formation..."

"Damn it, this is just wonderful..." Asuma let put out his cigarette in the dirt, and looked to the others, "Well, I suppose we may as well go with your plan, Sakura..." He looked at the group, "I can guess they already knew of our location..." He sighed, "Kakashi, Sakura, Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru, Kurenai, Konan, Deidara, and myself with Naruto being cared for by us...we would be the best suited for capture... We'll leave it to the rest of you to devise a plan...worse case scenario...Deidara can bust us out." A chuckle from the clay user after he heard the last part.

Iruka took charge of the group along with Anko, and they headed northward while Shino left some of his kikaichu to monitor the situation.

The group of remaining shinobi waited, acting as though they were unaware of the hunters that were heading there way. A growl escaped Naruto's throat, and Sakura held him closer, "He's waking up..."

Kakashi bit down a curse, "That's not a good thing. We don't know if he'll attack them or not..."

Naruto opened a glowing white eye, and blinked while looking up at Sakura, **"Sak'ra..."**

Sakura let a smile grace her features, "Naruto...are you okay?"

Naruto shook his head, **"Hurt...lots, but...not bad."**

Sakura noticed the warmth that began emanating from his body. She held him closer and spoke softly, "Naruto...we have some of the infected coming from Konoha...part of our group is going to hide while we allow ourselves to be captured..." Naruto immediately stiffened while growling, "No, no...Naruto, listen. I need you to remain calm...okay? We don't want to hurt the infected...we want to cure them, remember?"

Naruto growled, but nodded, **"Help them..."**

Sakura smiled, unaware that the others were watching the conversation between them intently, "Sakura, is he okay?"

Sakura turned to Hinata, and nodded softly, "Yeah, he's hurting a lot, but he said it's not serious." Sakura replied while helping her Kyuubified boyfriend get up to a sitting position, "Can you move, Naruto?" Naruto nodded in reply.

Not a moment sooner, thirteen separate footfalls could be heard. The group turned to see a group of ANBU, along with one face that made a few members in the group gasp a little.

"...Tenzou...you too?" Kakashi spoke, looking at the wood-using shinobi.

'Yamato' nodded, "Kakashi, I was surprised to hear that a group of shinobi that was supposedly in Suna months ago is still alive." Tenzou then noticed something that made him take a step back, "Naruto?"

Upon hearing his name, Naruto let out a growl-like reply, **"Yam'to..."**

"He...he's talking?" Tenzou asked the group while the other infected shinobi pulled out weaponry, "Stand down! I never ordered you to attack."

Asuma and Kakashi stood up and looked at Tenzou, "I'm surprised that you managed to keep Konoha in one piece...after all that happened because of the virus..." Asuma spoke with a glare at the group of infected.

"Don't categorize us with the feral ones...we wiped out the unstable ones." Tenzou replied, "What I would like to know is first off is _how_ Naruto is in that state and not rampant, and two, why are you associating with two missing-nin that were originally out for Naruto's life?"

"Hey, we were just taking orders back then. In all honesty, I like the kid, un." spoke Deidara as he nodded to the Kyuubi-container. Konan said nothing, but nodded as Deidara finished.

"We found that living in a group was the best option. We survived for quite some time while the infection was wiping out the mass majority of the Elemental Nations' populations." replied Kurenai as she stood up with the rest of the group, "They're no longer members of Akatsuki, if that's what you are implying."

Tenzou sighed, "Fine. Regardless, you're all going to be taken to Konoha. You'll find that we've kept an established order in the village. We run things differently than the rest of the infected do."

As the group walked back to Konoha, a few bugs flitted off to inform Shino of what had happened...

-ooOoo-

Hidan was getting bored. The prison guards had finally caved in and allowed him to have access to some reading material. Hidan, unlike what many thought, was a rather cultured man. Sadistic and borderline insane in battle? Yes. Illiterate? No.

"You Konoha-nin sure like keeping a record of your clan events..." spoke Hidan as he scanned over the contents of the scroll, although he was ignored by the two Chunin guarding his cell door. He was still chained to the wall by the chakra depleting cuffs, but that didn't prevent him from being annoying, "So...when is lunch?"

"You're meal won't be for another two hours," replied one of the Chunin, "Now keep it down."

"Screw you, I don't have to shut up for a spineless bastard like you!" Hidan retorted, turning back to his scroll.

The sound of the main corridor doors opening roused the former Hot Springs village shinobi from his reading. He looked up, and watched as the door to his cell opened. To his surprise, he was greeted by two familiar faces, "What the hell??"

"...oh no...come on, can't I have a different cell? This guy is the worse than death by skinning." groaned the blond clay-user. Konan remained silent, but if one looked they would have seen her eyes roll in annoyance.

"Konoha protocol dictates that A-class criminals or higher are to be placed in the maximum-security cell block." the ANBU replied, "No exceptions..."

"Just my luck, un..."

As they were locked up and the doors were shut, Hidan smirked, "It's not all bad...they actually serve decent food to us..."

The Chunin that were supposedly guarding the door headed off after receiving some orders from the ANBU captain that had brought the two former Akatsuki members to the prison. Konan looked outside the small, barred opening, then around the cell walls before speaking, "Hidan...we have a group of our survivors who will be infiltrating the village. We've found a cure for the infection..."

Hidan raised an eyebrow, "A cure?" He noticed the seriousness of the situation, "...you mean you found a way to cure these freaks?"

Konan nodded, "Yes...if Deidara and I can trust you...we'll let you in on the plan."

Hidan thought for a moment. He hadn't shed any blood in quite some time. Jashin no doubt was mad...then again, if Jashin had been so favoring of the white haired man, he wouldn't have allowed Hidan, a faithful follower of the god of destruction, to fall into this situation. Hidan nodded, "...okay...what's the plan then?"

Konan and Deidara exchanged looks, silently agreeing that they could trust Hidan..for now at least. Checking once more to make sure that no one was by the door guarding them, Konan let a few pieces of paper unravel from her arm, and a small syringe filled with a vial of red fluid dropped into her hand. She tossed it over to Hidan, and gave him an answer before he spoke, "Before we go any further with explanations, you need to inject that into your system, and wait for the effects to wear off. _Then_ we'll talk about plans."

"You just happened to carry a vial of that stuff on you, huh?"

Konan nodded, "It was going to be used as a last resort if I was endangered."

Hidan nodded, and took the vial of fluid as Konan rolled it across the room with the syringe, "Well, may as well get this over with..."

-ooOoo-

Sakura had been placed in a maximum security cell with Naruto, much to the chagrin of the ANBU. The moment Sakura was more than a few feet away from him, he growled and released a crippling wave of killer intent. After failing to coax him into the cell without his girlfriend, they caved in and let the pink-haired medic share the space with him.

As of right now, Sakura was sitting contentedly with Naruto. She noticed he had mellowed out a bit, and his breathing was becoming more relaxed. His blood-red fur had disappeared, but he still had two tails of red chakra.

She smiled as Naruto was curled up against her, not unlike that of a canine. Although it was from the Kyuubi, she wouldn't deny she loved the warmth Naruto was radiating from him. It helped her stay relaxed and kept her warm in the otherwise cool cell.

**"Sakura...chan...?"**

Sakura looked down to see Naruto looking up at her with red eyes, "Yes, Naruto?"

Naruto paused for a minute, his expression showing one of deep thought, **"You're...not scared of me?"** She could hear the hint of fear in his tone.

He was still afraid she would turn away and reject him after seeing his four-tailed form, along with the dangerous power it brought along with it. She frowned, shaking her head, "Naruto...I would never have reason to be afraid of _you_." She ran a tender hand through his somewhat blond locks of hair.

Naruto let a small smile appear on his face. While he still had his fangs due to his current state, Sakura could tell that it was a genuine one from the blond, **"Thanks...Sakura-chan...love you..."**

Sakura smiled gently as she rested her frame on his, "I love you, too."

**"Will the plan...work?"** Sakura noticed that his speech was becoming smoother by the minute.

"I hope so. If Shikamaru is leading the group, I'm sure that they have already begun preparations as we speak." Sakura replied, breathing in the familiar scent of the teen beside her.

Sakura and Naruto remained like this for awhile, lulled by each other's warmth. That is...until Sakura felt one of Naruto's hands snake it's way up her shirt. That earned Naruto a quick smack on the head.

**"Ow!"**

"Baka. Stop trying to get cute with me right now...I mean seriously...a prison cell? Would you really want to do that in _here_ of all places?"

Naruto's eyes looked away, but the wagging of his tails spoke silently for him. Sakura could only roll her eyes, but in reality she was finding the idea more and more appealing...

She looked through the prison door window, and saw no one. She felt Naruto's eyes upon her, and met his gaze. She smirked a bit, causing Naruto's tails to wag a bit more, "Fine...five minutes, but anything more and we stand a good chance of getting caught..."

Naruto grinned widely, **"Heheh...fine by me."** Before he could do anything further though, he found himself tackled to the ground by the kunoichi. For a brief moment, he swore he saw Sakura lick her lips as she pinned him to the ground, and he _knew_ he saw her eyes flash with a fire in them.

He may have the Kyuubi's chakra active around him...but he still wasn't sure if that could stand up to whatever Sakura was going to throw at him...especially in only five minutes.

-ooOoo-

"Still feel like keeping quiet, Kakashi?"

"You really think I'm going to talk? You're not even administrating any type of torture or interrogation...be realistic."

Yamato frowned, "We're not your enemy, Kakashi. We just want answers as to why you're sneaking around the forests of Konoha."

Kakashi groaned in annoyance before answering, "Why the hell wouldn't we be? The continent is _littered_ with blood-sucking humans, and we may very well be the only surviving group of people, let alone shinobi, left that aren't infected."

"...anything else?"

Kakashi shook his head, "It wouldn't matter if there was...it's not like you'd let us go. You need to _feed_, right?"

"Not necessarily. We could bring you into our village. It would be nearly harmless; a simple bite, and you'll be fine." the wood manipulator replied.

Kakashi was well aware that wouldn't be the case for him and the others with their newfound immunity, but it didn't stop him from acting the part. This was an ANBU captain he was talking to after all, "No thanks. I like to keep my humanity, thank you very much."

"...leave us."

The ANBU present looked to the wood manipulator, "Captain?"

"Hatake's always been one of the best. It'll take some persuasion on my part to get him to talk."

"...yes, Captain." The ANBU exited the room, and soon Yamato and Kakashi were the only one's present.

Kakashi said nothing as the younger ANBU captain sighed, "Kakashi...perhaps you don't realize what exactly this new Konoha has to deal with." He turned to face the masked Jounin, "We're not blood-thirsting, rabid, half-maniacal freaks like some of the other infected."

Kakashi made a sound that sounded close to a laugh, "Tenzou, I don't care _how_ civilized you all are. You're infected, and a risk to us."

"Us?"

"Us. The ones you captured. We barely made it through the winter, and I'm not about to let you go and infect us as well."

Yamato was now no more than a few feet from Kakashi, "Kakashi-senpai, the people here aren't _all_ shinobi. They depend on me and the other still capable shinobi to protect them from the outside."

"Protect them?" Kakashi repeated, "You mean from the infected outside the walls?"

Yamato nodded, "Which makes me wonder how the hell you're little ragtag group got through the woods so easily."

"We've gotten good at running through dangerous territories. That and Naruto had the Kyuubi's cloak over him. Though..."

"...what?"

Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment, as though trying to collect his thoughts, "He decimated about three platoons of infected shinobi like nothing. Yet...he managed to keep himself under control while Sakura was around."

"Heh...just goes to prove my theory is true."

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow, "Theory?"

"Yeah." Yamato nodded, "Sakura has a strong hold over the boy's heart. I suppose that was my first assumption when he protested against being separated from her. She had a calming effect on him. Sakura seems to be an anchor for Naruto's humanity when he goes over the edge and transforms. That's my belief at least."

"Yeah..." the masked Jounin couldn't help but smile, "They've become very close..."

Yamato frowned, "Senpai, listen..." Kakashi raised his head to face the younger shinobi, "I don't want violence among us. I just want answers. Hell...I could just let your group go, and pretend we never saw each other. We've managed to find a way to live amongst ourselves here in Konoha. We don't need unnecessary bloodshed."

"...so you _enjoy_ the fact that you're feeding off of others' blood?"

"No." Yamato shook his head, "Far from it. It's not like we have a choice though, is it?"

"That's...not entirely true."

"I suppose. The other option would be killing ourselves off."

Kakashi knew that it would be now or never. If he gave away this information, it would be either a blessing for him, or possibly lead to their demise, "...Sakura found a cure for the infection."

Yamato froze in place. He turned to Kakashi, and spoke, "...come again?"

Kakashi prepared himself for the worst as he spoke again, "Sakura...found a cure for the infection."

"...are you serious?"

"Yes."

"...how?"

"It's Sakura. She a medical prodigy. That, and Naruto has a natural immunity due to him being a Jinchuuriki. His blood was used in the development of the vaccine."

Yamato was quiet for a few minutes as he paced the room. He eventually stopped so he was facing his back to Kakashi, "...how sure are you of this cure working?"

"We tested it on several infected. They...they experienced mild pain, but they were cured."

"What happened to them?"

Kakashi looked away, "Well...we did this testing on the field. We couldn't afford to have the infected finding out where their missing comrades were. We simply left them where they were after they were healed. They seemed fine."

"Senpai...you just left them on their own?"

"Hard times call for hard choices."

"...I suppose. So, I take it you're all immune as well?"

"Yes." Kakashi gave a weary nod, "The first two hours after the shot are a bit draining, but we did enough testing afterwards. The infection is ineffective to us now. No matter how much you all tried, we'd be fine."

"This...is good." Yamato took a seat in a chair on the other side of the room, "How much of the cure do you have?"

"It's not on us. We left it back in the forest with..." Kakashi paused, and noticed Yamato look up, "We left it with the others in our group that stayed in the woods."

Yamato raised his eyebrows, "You mean there's _more_ of you?"

"Exactly. After all...Shizune was part of helping find the cure as well. Even Hana Inuzuka helped with making a vaccine for the nin-hounds."

Yamato was about to speak when there was a knock on the door. Yamato told the person to enter, and a winded Genin walked in, "Y-Yamato-taichou. We've received word of possibly thirteen more shinobi in the forest. We await your orders."

"Were there any possible identifications?"

"Y-yes. We were able to identify the Godaime Kazekage, Shikamaru Nara...and the missing-nin, Sasuke Uchiha."

"That's them, alright." Kakashi spoke, and Yamato sighed.

"Very well..." Yamato walked over and loosened Kakashi's restraints, "You and Asuma will come with us. I'm willing to have a truce between the village your group if you can give us this cure."

Kakashi rolled his shoulders a few times before he followed Yamato, "Fair enough. I trust that you won't try and pull a fast one on us later?"

Yamato smiled, his fangs exposed slightly, "You have my word, senpai."

"One more thing."

Yamato turned to Kakashi as they headed down the hallway, "What's that?"

"Deidara and Konan. They are part of our group. They may have had criminal histories...but they've helped us a lot. Do anything harmful to them, and I'll be dealing with it personally."

Yamato hesitated for a moment, "...they were after Naruto until not too long ago."

"Maybe...but they're not as bad as you think. Now, either you give them the same treatment as the others, or consider the cure nonexistent." Kakashi said, his tone giving no room for argument.

Yamato looked ahead, but nodded, "Fine, I guess I can trust you on this one."

Kakashi was relieved; things looked to be going the way he had hoped. No bloodshed, and no violence. Hopefully they would be able to maintain this peaceful way of dealing with things. If the citizens of Konoha were as understanding as Yamato, then maybe, just maybe, they would be able to bring their old friends back from this blood thirst they had...

-ooOoo-

"I don't like this..."

Temari sighed, "Shika, calm down. We just need to wait for the signal...or wait twenty-four hours...which ever comes first."

Shikamaru groaned as he got up from his spot on a tree limb, "Well...we have twenty hours left then, I guess..." He pulled out a ration bar from one of his vest pockets, and chewed on it, "This is too troublesome..."

The thirteen members of the surviving group that had not been captured were stationed amongst a group of trees about two miles away from the walls of Konoha. Twice they almost were seen by patrols...at least they hoped it was only twice.

The sound of a bird chirping caught the attention of the shadow user, "Tenten's signal..." He got up and headed to the right, Temari following behind.

The two were soon gathered in a large tree with the others, sitting amongst themselves as Tenten was looking through a pair of binoculars, "We spotted a group of twelve infected...and Kakashi and Asuma are leading them."

"...you don't think that...?"

Anko looked to Iruka, "No, Kakashi and Asuma wouldn't go and betray us. If anything, perhaps they struck a deal with Yamato and the others."

Sasuke, who was leaning against the body of the tree, nodded in agreement, "It's possible...they seemed like they were under their own self-control...they're not like most of the infected we've encountered in the past couple months."

"We should assume that they're still a threat though. The infected here aren't all as wild as the ones we've encountered before, but that means they can hide their intentions better as well." Gaara spoke, his sand moving about him.

Anko looked to Hanabi, and the young Hyuuga gave a nod before activating her kekkai genkai, "...they're about a half a mile from here...and moving fast." She deactivated her Byakugan, and sighed, "...we have them outnumbered fifteen to twelve, including Kakashi-sensei and Asuma-sensei."

Iruka fingered one of his kunai, "Damn it...we were _supposed_ to wait for a signal from Kakashi or one of the others..."

Hana's dogs started growling quietly, and Shino's bugs buzzed quietly. The bug user looked to the east, "...they're close..."

The thirteen ninja remained stone-still while watching the small clearing. Kakashi and Asuma hopped into open, and Asuma gave three distinct whistles. Iruka frowned, but looked to Anko. That was the signal if the captured shinobi got free...

"...I guess we're going to risk it." the kunoichi spoke, and Iruka merely nodded.

The group jumped out to the clearing, and immediately noted that the infected were just behind the cover of the forests.

"Kakashi, Asuma, what's going on?" Anko asked.

"We've struck a bargain with the infected. We give them the cure, they let us live."

Shizune decided to speak up, "How can you be sure? They may be trying to lure us."

"We don't want any death tonight, Shizune. We just want the cure. If there's a way out of this, then we'll take it."

The others looked to Yamato, who along with the other infected shinobi, walked out. Moegi and Hanabi took an instinctive step back while the older shinobi held their weapons at ready, "How can we be so sure?" Iruka asked, his eyes not moving from the group of vampire-like shinobi.

"We didn't kill a single one in your group, including Deidara and Konan."

Iruka looked to Kakashi and Asuma, who nodded in confirmation, "What about Naruto?"

"He's with Sakura, and it appears he's making a steady recovery." Yamato replied, a small smile gracing his features.

Sasuke still wasn't convinced, "You're sure that you don't plan on killing us once we enter Konoha?"

Kakashi was the one to reply, "Sasuke...we don't have many options. Besides...they have a system set up to hold back the blood cravings."

"Let's hope so." the Uchiha commented as he put his sword back in it's sheath. Gaara, called back his sand into his clothes while the others put their weapons back into their holsters.

"I promise you that nothing will happen to any of you while in Konoha. There are some of our shinobi who I'm sure would actually be happy to see you alive and well." Yamato spoke, "...although, I just want to be sure...you _do_ have a cure, correct?"

Shizune was the one to reply. She pulled out her backpack, and opened it to reveal at least five dozen sets of red vials of fluid, "The dosage to start the curing process doesn't need to be much at all, though half a vial is recommended. However, it can vary with the person as well."

The two groups headed back to Konoha, not knowing that in the distance, a few figures watched in the shadows. A few hisses and growls were heard, and the figures vanished into the approaching dark.

-ooOoo-

"Hey, Itachi...you okay?"

Itachi nodded as another bout of coughs escaped him, "I'm fine...just a minor cold."

Kisame frowned, "I don't believe that for a second..."

Itachi leaned against the tree they were under as rain drizzled down from the skies, "...I don't honestly know what's wrong. I've been getting worse for the past couple of months now..."

Kisame gave a grunt of understanding, "You were always a bit of a stubborn idiot when it came to your health."

"Kisame...look."

Kisame looked to see his partner pointing at about ten or more sets of footprints. They all were heading eastward, "Huh...they're fresh."

"Yes...but take a look here." Itachi pointed to about another twelve or so footprints, "It seems these two groups met here, and then headed towards Konoha...yet this first group looks like they had been coming from the west..."

"That's...a bit odd...you don't think that they were captured, do you?" Kisame asked as he looked down at the first set again.

"No...there's no sign of a struggle, or any blood."

"Hey, Itachi...you think that they may have been that group of survivors that you think your brother's with?"

Itachi shook his head, "I do not know. If it is, then we must head to Konoha."

Kisame grinned, "Well, I'm up for a bit of fighting."

Itachi looked to his teammate, and gave a grunt, "Kisame, I think we should avoid a fight if we can help it...we need to speak with my brother...and Naruto."

Kisame's features turned serious as he shifted Samehada, "Right."

"I can only hope that they're alive. Namely Naruto..."

"You sure he's the cure for this?"

"I don't know for certain. Pein was suspecting that 'Tobi' was behind this...although...if that's true, then we may be able to get the upper hand in this dilemma." Itachi got up, "We should go now, before it's too dark."

Kisame and Itachi took off towards Konoha, leaving no trace of them being in the area aside from the few leaves that scattered as they jumped off towards the hidden village.

_"I don't know how much more time we have..."_ Itachi thought as he picked up pace. He needed to find his brother and the blond haired Jinchuuriki, and he needed to find them _now_.

-ooOoo-

Hidan took in a deep breath as he felt the effects of the vaccine wearing off. He looked to see Deidara and Konan watching him, "Damn...that was different."

Deidara smirked, "I guess even immortals feel pain. Wouldn't have guessed it, un."

Hidan snorted indignantly, "Tch, whatever. So, what's the plan?"

Konan was about to open her mouth to reply when the clanking of keys on the door was heard, and the lock clicked. Konan watched the door open as Yamato, along with Kakashi, Shizune, and two ANBU walked in. Kakashi spoke, a small smile on his masked face, "Looks like we've got a change of plans."

Deidara and Konan were a bit confused when the locks on their chakra-depleting cuffs were taken off. Deidara raised an eyebrow as he massaged his sore wrists, "So...a new plan?"

Yamato was the one to answer the question, "Village-wide vaccination. By force, if necessary."

Deidara and Konan both let a small smile cross their lips. Deidara laughed, "Heh, well, I don't believe it, Kakashi. You actually managed to talk to someone without pissing them off."

Kakashi groaned, "...very funny...now come on, let's get a move on. We've got to get the group together without attracting the attention of ninja who aren't aware of the situation. They're still infected..."

"Hey, what about me?"

The group looked to Hidan, and Kakashi spoke, "...you're from Akatsuki as well?"

"Was." Konan spoke, "Akatsuki's no more, remember?"

Yamato sighed, "Hidan, we've said this too many times now; 'You're a missing-nin of high ranking that is a threat to our village's safety'."

"He's immune." Deidara added.

Hidan picked up the empty syringe of the vaccine, and smirked, "It's not like a whole village couldn't stop me if it had to, right?"

"...leave his cuffs on, but free him from his other restraints." Yamato spoke, and the ANBU did as instructed.

As Hidan got up, Kakashi spoke, "We should also check on Naruto. If he's still in his present state, then Sakura _must_ be with him."

"Actually, Uzumaki's regressed to his normal state, though his canines are still enlarged and his nails are sharper than usual. He's otherwise making a steady recovery." spoke one of the ANBU.

Shizune finally spoke, "That's good...but we must hurry. The vaccine is only effective for another week before it's no longer able to work. After that, we'll need to make a new batch of it."

"A week?" Yamato repeated, "That should be enough time for..." his voice drifted off a bit as he shook his head.

"What's the matter?" Kakashi asked, his bad news senses tingling.

Yamato spoke in a calm voice, "Well, we're not entirely sure on this, but we've made enough observations to believe it true..." The wood-user looked to the silver haired Jounin as he continued, "We have reason to believe that the infection has...further mutated the infected."

"_Further_ mutated?" Shizune whispered, "How?"

Yamato shook his head, turning down the corridor towards the exit, "I can explain when we get everyone together. For now let me just say this..." He spoke in a low voice, his tone becoming grave, "If you think that we're scary with our thirst for blood and our slightly altered appearance...then I wouldn't recommend making too much noise outside the walls at nightfall."

The group left the prison corridor, and headed towards the other holding blocks. If this plan was too work, then it would have to be executed quickly, efficiently, and even without the populous knowing if necessary...

...and Konoha was _still_ a large village.

Still, what Yamato had said just a few moments ago about further mutation sent a chill down the spines of the survivors.

What could possibly be worse than the state the infected were already in?

- - - - -

Two Jounin of Konoha stood in a guard tower overlooking the main gate as the moon shined brightly.

"They're quiet tonight."

The other shinobi nodded, "It's still early though."

The wind picked up for a few moments, and the faint sound of an unearthly howl could be heard. A few more howls were made, and sound the night air was filled with the animal-like sounds, "Damn, was hoping they'd shut up for once."

The other Jounin shook his head, "Have you ever seen one of them before?"

"No, but I lost two of my friends to them. Our search party only found bone and some entrails of the two the next morning."

"Sorry to hear that...I saw them once, thank all that is holy it was just one. We killed it without even thinking. We thought it was some kind of wild animal before we got a good look at it after it was dead..."

The two were silent for a moment as the howls died down. A few distant clicking sounds could be heard, as though some insects were communicating. Just like almost every night, the sounds carried on into the early morning.

**end of Chapter Fourteen- I know, I KNOW...heh, it's been TOO long. I apologize. Like I said, I had been working on this chapter on and off. Not really action packed, but it's setting things up. I know what a few of you are thinking; 'Denim, what the heck are you plotting that you're not telling us?' That's for me to know, and you to find out. A few of you have asked me if I plan on killing off any certain characters. I'll say this much; telling would be ruining the plot for the readers. I know the feeling though...stories that leave so much death in it make me worry too, heh.**

Well, thanks for those who have continued to read this story (after the HUGE delay on updates). The next update will hopefully not be as long from now. Later!


	15. Brother to Brother

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, being as it is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. I also don't own a cure to a virus that infects humans and turns them into sadistic, blood-sucking creatures, so let's hope we don't have anything happen like that, right? Right.**

Outbreak Part II

Chapter Fifteen: Brother to Brother

About a day had passed since the group had made peace with Yamato and his most trusted shinobi of Konoha. The other infected civilians of Konoha had no clue of the survivors' presence in their village. Eventually Yamato would have to deal with that, but for now, they were more interested in dealing with vaccinations.

Among the first to take the vaccine were Ino, Chouji, and a few of the highest ranked ANBU. Just like they were told, there was a bit of pain, followed by some fatigue afterwards, but the loss of the thirst for blood was a major payoff for their temporary suffering.

Naruto and Sakura were sitting in a small office within the reconstructed Hokage Tower, two cured ANBU standing on either side of the room. Sakura was running a few diagnostics on a sample of the virus while Naruto was simply watching her, curious about what she was gaining from the research.

"Tora, you said that the virus has _mutated_ the infected outside of Konoha?"

One of the ANBU looked to Sakura before nodding, "Yes, Haruno-san. I...I don't know how else to say it, but the infected in our walls and the ones outside are completely different."

"The ones outside the walls are almost sub-human..." added Tori, the female ANBU, "...it's strictly forbidden to enter or leave our village after sunset. No exceptions."

Sakura nodded while looking at the slide under the microscope on her table one last time. She noted that the virus was acting more different than usual. Usually it would attack the cells of the body and simply mutate into a new cell. The ones under the microscope, however...

"What are they doing, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked as he took a look at the slide under the microscope lens as well, "It's...it's like the virus is _eating_ the good cells." He took a step back, "Freaky...but, they still aren't able to do anything to my cells, right?"

Sakura gave another nod, "Yep, your cells, as well as everyone who's gotten the vaccine. Watch closely."

Sakura took a small eyedropper of the red vaccine, and dropped two small blots of the fluid into the mixture of infected cells. She let Naruto watch through the lens, and his eyes widened a bit, "The mutated cells of the infected are...wait, Sakura-chan, are they...?"

"Yeah, they're dying. Once they try to invade a vaccinated cell, the mutated cellular wall ruptures and causes it to ultimately die. The 'normal' cells send signals to the brain and bodily system which basically gets rid of the hormonal 'need' for blood."

Naruto blinked several times, "I...I think I get it for the most part. So, the body stops telling itself to drink blood after normal infected cells have been vaccinated, right?"

"Yep."

"With the mutated infected cells, though, they die?"

"Yeah."

Naruto frowned, "We don't want to kill the infected, though...do we?"

Sakura sighed, "Naruto, in all honesty, I don't have an answer to that. If the mutants are that far into the infected state, then there may be no other option."

"Don't forget they can still produce offspring like any human, infected or not." stated Tora, who was leaning against the wall a bit with his masked face looking to Naruto, "They're multiplying out there. It's a dead forest for the most part. No wildlife aside from insects are making noise past the walls at night. Nature knows something is messed up in the world."

Sakura shook her head before turning off the microscope and taking the slide and placing it in alcohol to clean it off. She then got up from her work table and looked to the two ANBU, "So, when does Yamato-taichou plan on beginning 'Operation: Cure-All'?"

Tori shrugged, "Likely within the week, seeing as the vaccine's only good for a little while longer until a new culture is made." Tori looked to Naruto, her voice a bit softer this time, "Uzumaki-san, I would like to personally thank you for giving us this cure. I can't think of any other word for it. Too many people have given you grief in your childhood, myself included." She bowed a bit, as did Tora, "Thank you."

Naruto's face reddened slightly before he smiled, "It's fine. I'm just glad that I'm helping the cause. Besides, Sakura-chan and Shizune-neechan were the ones who did all the work in creating the vaccine." He laughed, "I was just the guinea pig."

The two ANBU both nodded before bowing to him again. Sakura just giggled, watching as Naruto tried to pass the credit over to her.

-ooOoo-

Yamato sat in the Hokage's office with Kakashi, Konan, Anko, and Asuma. He was looking at a display of weapons on his table while a pensive look was etched into his features, "So...Tenten believes that senbon would be the best option?"

"That or wooden crossbow bolts...and those are hard to make. Steel may be alright too, but you know how hard it can be to _not _kill someone with a crossbow." Asuma stated, "The other options was Shizune's: have a village-wide public vaccination while using the guise of 'preventing the spread of the mutated infection' or something like that."

Yamato sighed, "I think the latter might be the best. I do not wish to resort to forced methods like weapons unless it comes down to it. I'm _just_ starting to feel normal after taking the vaccine, and I haven't drank any blood for almost twenty-four hours now. It's really working."

"You think anyone would truly be against this?"

Yamato looked to Konan before shaking his head, "There's a few cults that formed from this infection. You know the type; blood-drinking ceremonies, believing that we are immortal and 'blessed'..." The wood-user waved a hand, "They keep to themselves and don't cause any trouble, but they could oppose the idea at first. Almost sixty-percent of the ANBU and high-ranking Jounin are scheduled for vaccination tomorrow, so that will help. They are aware of the true reason, and I've had no complaints."

Kakashi leaned against the wall as he spoke, "You were saying something about the mutated ones outside the walls, right?"

"Yes." Yamato replied in an emotionless voice, "They're practically animal, but apparently the vast majority of them still are able to think on a human level. Well, to a certain extent, at least. They know enough that entering Konoha is death for them, and they know that they stand a better chance of killing any of us within the forest. They vary in appearance. Some have begun walking on all fours, others have become bulky and primal in nature. I could go on all day if I wanted to."

"That bad, huh?" Anko commented, "Just how far does this mutation go?"

Yamato leaned back in his chair with his hands folded behind him, "Let's see..." He paused for a moment, "We've seen ones that are blind and hunt like a bat would, others are able to climb trees like a monkey, some have even developed folds between their skin and glide. I'm sure there's others I've forgotten. Needless to say, it's like something that came from a horror film."

Konan shook her head, "I've been hearing the strange clicking noises all night."

The room was quiet as the group of four listened to the wind blow by. A faint sound of some high-pitched clicking and screeching could be heard. Yamato shook his head, "That's the sound alright. A few shinobi of ours early on in our reconstruction said that they may use the clicking as a means of communication. It's disturbing to think that they evolved so fast as to develop a new form of information relay."

"You don't say?" Anko commented, "I'm not all that surprised. Hell, a good portion of them are probably former shinobi as it is. Developing a new form of communication probably wouldn't be all that difficult for them."

"True," Yamato agreed, "That doesn't mean I'm not disturbed any less by it. A few shinobi who managed to get into the village after being attacked at nightfall said it was like they were being hunted by a coordinated pack of animals. We lost almost fifty of our Chuunin and Genin out there before we started placing the restriction on leaving at night."

"Well, we can't stay here forever." Kakashi stated, "Chances are that we'll have to help spread the vaccine out to any other villages."

Yamato sighed while rubbing a temple, "I know, I know...but it's just that getting through those woods can take awhile with large groups. On top of that, while they prefer hunting at night, they can attack during the day if given the opportunity."

Asuma put out his cigarette in an ashtray before blowing out a plume of smoke and speaking, "You have any estimates on how many of them there are out there?"

"Hundreds. I'm guessing somewhere between five and six hundred. Maybe more." Yamato shrugged his shoulders, "We don't have a clue on their movements, and we've only made guesses based on the amount of people missing after the huge outbreak we had here back when the village was practically burned to the ground."

"In other words, there's no certain number you can give us." Konan clarified.

"More or less." Yamato replied, "Like I said, we haven't a single safe way to monitor them. They're just as intelligent as we are, but they keep to themselves as long as we're inside the walls."

The group was silent for awhile, the only sound being the incessant clicking from far off in the woods beyond the walls of Konoha. Kakashi watched the late night moon become covered by a few low lying clouds, casting darkness within the dimly lit room, "They'll eventually start attacking, you know."

Yamato's grim features gave clear indication that he was well aware of that fact, "Of course they will. A starved animal is a dangerous animal." He stood up and looked to the other four in the room, "Regardless, the main goal for us right now is to vaccinate all those within Konoha. After that we can begin making any plans on what to do about the dispersal of the cure outside of Konoha borders."

"Sounds like that's the best action we can take right now." Asuma agreed, cracking his neck a bit.

With that, the five shinobi returned to their respective places of residency. Yamato, who was the last to leave, looked over a report from an ANBU patrol that was given to him earlier. He looked it over while rubbing a hand across his left temple.

_Patrol Team 043- Squad Captain: Yuuta_

_ Designated area of patrol- Area 121, north-northwest of Konoha main gate. _

_ Report details- 7:00 Relatively quiet, no signs of significant animal life aside from the occasional bird or rodent. We encountered several spots where it appears that several mutated had rested for the night. There was no evidence of feeding or a fight._

_ 11:00 Encounter with a single flying mutant, terminated by Izuki and myself. I sustained a minor laceration to the arm. Wound was treated by Shin._

_ 14:00 Several more mutants ambushed our team. Shin was killed by two 'screamer' class mutants. Screams alerted surrounding mutants to area. Escaped with use of flash bang tags and bomb kunai._

_ 14:30 Captain Yuuta died a half an hour later from heavy blood loss and was unable to be healed properly with the loss of Shin, our medic. Izuki and myself returned to gates at 15:00 hours._

_Notes- While going through forested area, there were various runes and symbols carved into the trees. Unable to get accurate recording of the symbols, requires further analysis. Requesting one week resting period._

_ Report submitted by- Hiroto, second in command of Patrol Team 043_

Yamato sighed, placing the paper back on the table. He'd have to find two available ANBU to fill in the spots lost in this patrol team. He knew the demand was becoming a real strain for his shinobi. While a lot of the ANBU had managed to survive the initial attack on Konoha, there were only so many available. They had gone from the Hokage's elite shinobi unit to the main defense and policing force of Konoha.

"Tenzou," Kakashi spoke, seeing the former ANBU captain looking over a piece of paper with a troubled look, "Something wrong?"

Yamato shook his head, "Nothing major, I suppose. Just a patrol report with two losses..."

"Ah." Kakashi knew right away what the Mokuton user was talking about. He left the room, deciding to try and get a little rest before it got to be too late.

-ooOoo-

Itachi stood above the canopy of the Hidden Leaf Forest with Kisame, both mimicking the shadows around them and barely moving.

"There it is." Itachi spoke, "I'm surprised it has stood up against the initial collapse that most civilizations have met."

Kisame grinned, "Likely because the infected there are competent enough to reorganize themselves."

"Agreed." Itachi spoke, "We should probably get inside the village before we end up being noticed by one of the mutants."

A flurry of leaves signaled the departure of the two nuke-nin.

-ooOoo-

Sasuke sat outside on the balcony of his temporary apartment across from the Konoha Hospital. He wasn't tired quite yet, and even if he was, he doubt he'd be able to sleep with the noise.

"...what do you mean I'm scary with fangs?" Ino growled as she stood up, her face inches from Shikamaru's, "I find them cute!"

"So says the girl who is the definition of annoying." groaned Shikamaru, "Look, Ino, ugly or cute, you still have fangs. You're cured, though. That's all that matters."

"Shika's right, Ino. We're cured of the blood thirst, and we've suffered no side effects." Chouji added, "It's good to have normalcy back in our lives."

Ino's shoulders slumped, "I guess you're right..." Her eyes became moist as she looked to the others in the apartment before letting out a quiet sigh, "I...I don't know how you can forgive us for what we tried doing those months back."

Kiba was the one to speak, "Hey, we're still friends. As twisted as it sounds, Tsunade even said she just wanted us to join Konoha again."

Ino chuckled lightly, "Yeah...we...Chouji and I...we missed you guys. I just wish more of us were still alive."

"Well, we're here. We just have to find a way to spread the cure, and prevent more problems with the mutated." Shikamaru concluded.

Among the other shinobi present were Temari, Hinata, Moegi, and Hanabi. Lee and Tenten were currently on a voluntary patrol of the village, which translated to patrol the village for five minutes before finding an alleyway where they could have some privacy. Gaara too was patrolling the village, though remaining within the southern district where the main gate was. The apartment had become a sort of unofficial gathering area for the younger shinobi survivors.

"Hey, Sasuke, why don't you come over here and talk for a change? It's only been what now, three years since you spoke to some of us, right?" Ino spoke, the slightest hint of coolness in her voice.

Sasuke turned to her before chuckling, "I'd rather not have my ear talked off, thank you."

Ino blinked in bewilderment while a few of the others snickered. Sasuke had, much to the others' surprise, a sense of humor. As such, he took every opportunity presented to demonstrate that.

"D-did he just...?" Ino's face went red before she became flushed with embarrassment and anger, "Sasuke Uchiha, how dare you go and-"

"Oh, blow it off, Ino. He's just trying to get you riled up." Temari spoke, patting the platinum blond on the shoulder as she held back a fit of laughter, "Sasuke's just in denial of how much he wants you right now."

The Uchiha scoffed at that, "I'm not _that _desperate."

Ino decided that the nearby empty cup on the coffee table served as a good projectile weapon, throwing it towards his head only for him to catch it and set it down. Ino growled, but noted the teasing smile playing on Sasuke's lips as he turned to her.

He honestly has changed. He wasn't trying to be deliberately cruel to her, just...teasing...

Ino grinned, "Oh, that's fine. I'm not a fan of pretty boys anyway."

Kiba laughed outright while Shikamaru chuckled quietly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow while looking to Ino, "_Pretty_?"

Ino stuck out her tongue, "Yep, prettier than some girls even."

Kiba shook his head while chuckling, "She's got you there, Sasuke."

"...hn." Sasuke turned back to the balcony, "Fair enough, I suppose it's possible to be prettier than Ino."

Kiba rolled on the ground with unrestrained laughter as Chouji had to hold Ino back from starting a brawl in the living room.

"Sasuke, that was a bit much." Hinata spoke as Sasuke finally sat down with the others. Sasuke just shrugged to the elder Hyuuga girl, noticing her small smile.

"You were laughing too, Hinata." Hanabi spoke while giggling. Hinata blushed lightly before telling her sister to stop teasing.

"So, where's Naruto and Forehead?" Ino asked as she leaned against Chouji, "I've been wanting to get word on what's between them all day from her, but she's been cooped up in the lab within Konoha Hospital or hiding in the basement facility of the tower."

Temari rolled her eyes, "The only thing they need are wedding vows. They eat, sleep, and bathe together."

Moegi grinned, "I think someone's jealous."

Temari felt a vein throb, "Like you should talk!"

The others laughed as Moegi continued to taunt the wind user. Sasuke looked out the window once more, but this time, he noticed something.

Two shadows standing on the roof across the street from them. His Sharingan activated, and the others took notice, but like trained shinobi, continued on while waiting to see if the Uchiha would give them an explanation. Shikamaru was the first to speak while looking at a loose piece of thread on his shirt, "What's up, Sasuke?"

"Two figures across the street form us." Sasuke replied.

Kiba sniffed the air a bit, "Hey, Sasuke...I don't mean to creep you out, but...one of them has a scent familiar to yours."

Sasuke didn't move from his spot, but moved his right hand a bit so that it rested on his sword hilt, "If that's the case...I think I know who that is."

Shikamaru, being one to catch on quickly, spoke quietly, "Is it your brother?"

"Yeah." Sasuke replied, "I'm almost positive."

"Don't go jumping the gun, Sasuke. We talked about this, remember? If this day ever came, we'd back you up." Kiba spoke.

Hinata nodded in agreement, "We're friends, Sasuke. Don't go and do something reckless when we're here to help."

Sasuke sighed, "Right, just give me-" The two figures suddenly vanished, and he felt a sudden spike in chakra right over them, "Crap, they're on the roof above us."

Temari gritted her teeth, "It's like they're daring us to attack them."

Moegi spoke, "What should we do?"

Sasuke shook his head, "Itachi's not like this. I don't know why he's openly releasing his chakra like this."

The Uchiha stood up from his spot, and began towards the door. Shikamaru stood up as well, "Sasuke, we should be ready for a trap. This could be all just so that they can get Naruto..."

Sasuke shook his head, "No. Deidara said that Akatsuki is disbanded. On top of that, what would they be accomplishing by going for us?"

Temari's eyes widened, "They're trying to lure us. Maybe a hostage situation?"

Sasuke gripped his sword, "Well, we'll just have to find out then."

"Right." Shikamaru looked to the others, "Ino, Kiba, Temari, go with Sasuke. The rest of us will stay here, and if we have to, go and get help."

The group all silently agreed, and Sasuke with the other three exited the apartment.

Hinata fidgeted a bit, "Something isn't right about all this."

Shikamaru nodded, "Tell me about it."

-ooOoo-

Itachi looked towards a corner of the building's roof they stood on and spoke, "It seems they decided to investigate after all."

Kisame chuckled, "Heh, the small fry think they can fight us, huh?"

Sasuke, Ino, Kiba, and Temari all stood side by side, prepared to fight. Sasuke looked to his brother, eyes blazing with red, "Itachi...what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same, little brother." Itachi replied, "Truth is, I'd rather not run around circles with idle chat."

"Hey, Sasuke...they don't have their Akatsuki cloaks on." Kiba noted, pointing out the simple black cloaks the two now adorned, "They smell like they've been outside for some time too." Akamaru barked in agreement

Sasuke brandished his katana, "Itachi, I'll be honest; I still want to kill you, but I've learned that there are more important things to me. So, if you're here to fight me _or_ capture Naruto, it won't be easy."

Itachi closed his eyes for a moment, "We're not here for Naruto."

"So you're here to fight me, I take it?"

"No." Itachi replied.

Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction, "No...?"

Itachi looked to Kisame, "Kisame, I'm giving you the option to leave, if you wish. I know you don't have the same ties to these people as I do."

Kisame smirked, "Heh, I'll stick around. Not like I have anywhere else to be at the moment."

Itachi nodded, "Fair enough." The elder Uchiha brother looked back to his younger sibling, "Sasuke, there are many things you need to know. Unfortunately, if I wished to tell you them, it'd require more than a few minutes."

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke growled, his eyes narrowing while three tomoe spun in each eye, "You killed our family, and were until recently part of Akatsuki. There's nothing to talk about."

Itachi sighed, "I was afraid it'd be like this." Itachi closed his eyes, and reopened them, "_**Mangekyou Sharingan**_."

Sasuke's eyes locked with Itachi's and the next thing he knew, the world around him dissolved into blackness.

-ooOoo-

_Sasuke found himself in what he assumed to be the world within his brother's infamous Tsukuyomi. The sky was red, and that was about it for color, the rest being shaded in white, black, and gray.  
_

_ "Damn it." Sasuke cursed, "Itachi, where are you?!"_

_ "Right here."_

_ Sasuke whirled around, his sword clashing with a kunai that Itachi had produced, "Bastard...I'm not the same little Genin from three years ago. I won't fall so easily for this."_

_ "I'm not here to fight." Itachi spoke, "Either you willingly listen, or I'll make you."_

_ Sasuke grimaced, "Go to hell."_

_ Itachi shook his head, "You still lack patience." With a quick hand seal, tendrils of soil burst out from the ground, and wrapped around Sasuke. He found that, despite his struggling, he was unable to move. He couldn't release any chakra to break free, and his Sharingan was unable to counter Itachi's more powerful doujutsu._

_ "Sasuke, what I'm about to tell you will probably be hard to take. That is why I'm going to use these next seventy-two hours to explain it all to you." Itachi began, "There's more to my killing our clan than you're aware of."_

_ "..." Sasuke just glared at his older brother, not saying a word._

_ "The truth is that on that night when our clan was killed, I had been taking orders."_

_ "What?" Sasuke asked, "Taking orders?"_

_ "Yes." Itachi replied, "I'll show you." _

_ Itachi waved a hand, and the scenery around them changed. Sasuke watched as a younger version of his brother appeared, standing in what appeared to be the Hokage's office. He was in his ANBU gear, and before him sat the Sandaime, as well as Koharu, Homura, and Danzou. _

_ "Itachi, after looking over all the information you've gathered, I fear that the Uchiha clan is a possible threat to Konoha." Hiruzen Sarutobi began, "You are certain that they wish to stage a coup?"_

_ The young Itachi nodded, "I believe so, Hokage-sama. My father still seems to hold some resentment for what happened to our clan generations ago."_

_ Danzou spoke next, "The Uchiha clan must be eliminated, if that's the case."_

_ Sarutobi shot the bandaged elder a glare, "Let's not go and jump to such decisions when there's still a possible way to solve this without bloodshed."_

_ Koharu spoke next, "Hiruzen, I fear that the chance to do that is long past. The Uchiha are supporting this idea, and it seems like it could very well succeed."_

_ Homura followed with a question to the young ANBU, "Itachi...are you aware of what may need to be done?"_

_ Itachi's younger self was quiet for several long seconds. He looked to the floor before speaking, "If I must eliminate my clansmen for the good of Konoha...then I understand."_

_ Hiruzen groaned, "Itachi, doing this will likely have dire consequences. You will be considered a criminal, and I'm afraid that if this is to be done in a hands-off manner. We cannot give you our support if anything bad should happen."_

_ Itachi simply nodded, "I understand."_

_ The scene faded from view, and Itachi looked to his younger brother. Sasuke seemed to be staring off into space, "Sasuke?"_

_ "...you're lying."_

_ Itachi shook his head, "I wish I was. There's more though."_

_ Itachi waved his hand once more, and now they found themselves in a wooded area. A younger Itachi was once again standing before them, along with another figure who had an odd mask of some sort covering his face. _

_ "Ah, Itachi-kun, what brings you here?"_

_ Itachi didn't show any emotion, "Madara, I've come to ask for your assistance. I am to dispose of the Uchiha clan, by myself."_

_ Madara chuckled lightly, "That's quite a boat load for one man, don't you think?"_

_ "Will you help me or not?" Itachi asked. Madara pondered it over for a moment before nodding._

_ "Fair enough; the Uchiha abandoned me, I see it only fit that they pay for betraying me." _

_ Itachi glared, "This isn't about your grudge against the clan, it's about the planned coup they are going to have against Konoha."_

_ "Fine, fine. I'll help you either way." Madara began to walk off, "You know where to find me when you're ready."_

_The world around them faded, returning to the black, white, and red world of Tsukuyomi. Sasuke spoke quietly, looking to his brother, "...who was that man?"_

_ "Madara Uchiha."_

_ "...Madara Uchiha?"_

_ "Yes, the founder of our clan, as far as we're aware, at least. He was one of the most powerful men in all of Konoha's history, only second to the Shodai Hokage, though he left before the Nidaime came to power as well, so there's speculation on that statement." Itachi went on, "Our clan had been part of Konoha's founding days. We were once our own people though, and with time, we gained allies in the Senju clan, who had long been our enemies.. The Senju, who both the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage were a part of, formed an alliance with our clan after years and years of fighting."_

_ "So? What's that got to do with the clan massacre?"_

_ Itachi waved his hands yet again, and two chairs that faced each other appeared, "Have a seat, Sasuke. I have another seventy-one hours, thirty-five minutes, and fifteen seconds to explain all that I can to you..."_

-ooOoo-

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, and the first thing he noted was his brother standing before him.

"I'm sorry for that, Sasuke." Itachi spoke with what almost sounded like regret, "I will be honest; I didn't entirely regret killing our clan, aside from our mother and perhaps our uncle and aunt...and Shisui."

"Sasuke, are you alright?!" Ino called out. Sasuke turned his head slowly to see Ino, Kiba, and Temari trapped in bubbles of water being held in place by Kisame and two water clones.

"I-I'm fine..." Sasuke replied, "I...just found out a few things..."

Itachi helped his brother up while looking to Kisame, "You can let them go now."

Kisame nodded, "Good thing that technique only takes a couple of seconds, Itachi." He dispelled his two clones and the water prisons collapsed. The three fell to their knees, taking in gulps of air while sending glares to Kisame.

"I'm sorry we had to do that, but Kisame didn't want you interfering while I had Sasuke in my Tsukuyomi." Itachi spoke, "I didn't cause him any harm, if that's what you're worried about."

Temari reached for her fan, "Then...what...did you want from him?" She stood up, "What did you do to him?"

"He revealed a lot of things I didn't know about my clan, Temari. A lot of things that I'm glad I know now." Sasuke's eyes seemed to be depraved of rest suddenly, and he looked ready to collapse, "Itachi...why didn't you kill me as well?"

Itachi was quiet, "Well, do you think you could kill someone that looks up to you, and trusts you?" Itachi placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, "I agreed to eliminating the clan on the condition that you live. To kill you would be an act even I would not be able to live with."

Sasuke's body shook, "Then...all these years that I've been trying to get stronger...?"

Itachi looked away from his brother, "I did what I had thought was right, Sasuke. It was stupid...but you became strong because of it."

"You _ruined_ my life! Because of you and Madara, I lived my life alone. I betrayed my friends, and became obsessed with..." He turned to Itachi, "You bastard!"

Itachi didn't block the punch to the face. He took it with acceptance, and didn't care that he fell to the ground. Sasuke's eyes were glistening with tears as he approached the elder Uchiha brother, "If you choose to continue hating me, I will hold nothing against it."

Sasuke drew out his blade, and Kisame himself took a step forward, gripping Samehada by the handle. He prepared to attack Sasuke when Itachi looked to the blue-skinned ninja and shook his head. Kisame stopped, albeit with reluctance.

Sasuke had the sword at his brother's neck, the point right underneath his chin, "I should kill you, right here."

"I won't stop you." Itachi spoke quietly, "I've failed you as a brother, and as a person who swore to look out for you."

Sasuke's arm trembled, and he pulled the sword away from Itachi's throat and slammed it into the roof. He let out a anguished yell and began cursing his horrible hand that fate had been dealing him all these years.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!" Sasuke cried, "You damned bastard, after all these years, I can't kill you!!!" He banged his fists into the tiled roof, "I hate you! I hate you!!"

Itachi stood up, and ignored his voice of reason, placing his two hands on Sasuke's shoulders, "Sasuke..."

Sasuke looked up, Sharingan no longer active, eyes red from crying, "...what...?"

"...I'm sorry."

Sasuke was quiet for a few seconds. He studied Itachi's face, trying to decipher what his brother was thinking. Itachi had always been a rather hard one to read, even for this family. At that moment though, Sasuke saw the slightest glimpse of what could be translated as sorrow in Itachi's eyes. It was as though he had been suffering for as long as Sasuke had.

Sasuke stood up and did something he _never _thought he'd do; cling to his brother like he had when he was just a child. He hated Itachi, yet at the same time, forgave him for everything he did. His world had been torn asunder. What had felt like hours of talking to his brother was only mere seconds in the real world. If not for the fact he had friends again, reminding him that he had stability in his world again, he'd probably be going mad right now.

Kisame turned away from the two, looking to the three younger ninja, "I think we're intruding here."

The three younger shinobi, who while confused, nodded and followed Kisame down from the roof, Ino and Kiba each sparing the young, distraught Uchiha a look as they did so.

Sasuke had stopped crying aloud, silently shedding tears now. He was both humiliated and angry, "Why?"

Itachi shook his head, "I'm not sure, Sasuke. Life is hardly fair, especially in the shinobi world."

The younger Uchiha let go of his brother, looking anywhere but at Itachi, "...I feel sick."

"Welcome to my world." Itachi spoke.

"...tch...still a jackass."

Itachi poked Sasuke in the forehead, causing the younger teen to fall back a step, "Yes, and you're still a whining little baby at times."

Sasuke gave a weak glare, "I guess this means I've got some explaining to do to everyone, especially my old team and friends."

"I'll be doing the same as well." Itachi began, "I hate to add more to your stress, but I need to speak to Naruto as well."

"Naruto? What for?" Sasuke asked defensively.

"Naruto, believe it or not, may be the only thing standing between a future for humanity and the world being overrun by darkness." Itachi spoke.

"Figures, I should have expected something like that with Naruto." Sasuke replied, "First things first, I need to reassure everyone downstairs that you're not here to kill me or anyone else."

"Very well." Itachi agreed, following his brother.

"Hey...Itachi?"

"Hm?"

Sasuke thought his words over carefully before speaking, "I'm still not entirely sure I can trust you after all that's happened, but..." He sighed before continuing, "...as stupid as this is going to sound, I think I'm willing to try and start over."

Itachi closed his eyes, a small smile on his face, "I can give that a try, Sasuke."

The two Uchiha hadn't taken more than two steps before several figures appeared out of nowhere, weapons drawn.

"Hold it!" Sasuke spoke, raising a hand, "Don't attack!"

"Sasuke Uchiha, we've orders to kill the man by your side upon sight of him. Please stand aside."

Sasuke groaned, "Let me explain. There's a legitimate reason for him being here that doesn't involve attacking our village, nor any of the citizens or shinobi."

The ANBU captain walked forward, "We can't take any chances."

Sasuke grabbed for his sword, but Itachi grabbed his brother's hands before he could pull out the blade, "Don't, Sasuke. We don't need bloodshed."

Sasuke growled, "Look, will one of you inform Yamato, Kakashi, and the others from my group about this? We'll remain here until they decide what to do, and then we'll explain everything."

One of the ANBU spoke up, "Taichou, I can do it."

The captain of the group hesitated for a moment before giving in, "Fine. Hurry."

The ANBU bowed before vanishing in a plume of smoke. The group continued to keep a close eye on the two Uchiha.

"How have Naruto and the others been holding up?"

Sasuke turned to his older brother, "You know about the others?"

"I would assume that at least a few of you survived. Considering that you were with other Konoha shinobi in the room below us, I would imagine that Naruto is alive, at the very least." Itachi replied, "After all, he has a natural immunity."

"...how do you know about that?"

Itachi shook his head, "Perhaps we should wait until we're brought before the person in charge of Konoha."

"Fine." Sasuke faced forward again, "Kakashi, Konan, Asuma, Yamato, and Anko are running Konoha's operations right now."

"That's good. Kakashi-senpai is a go-" Itachi's words were suddenly cut off by a sudden cough. One cough became two, then he broke into a continuous fit of hard coughs. He sounded like he was hacking up something from his throat. He eventually settled, Sasuke giving him a surprised, if not somewhat concerned, look.

"You alright?" Sasuke asked, eyes locking with Itachi's.

"Yes. Just a minor sickness; I'll live."

Sasuke looked to the hand that had been cupping Itachi's mouth, noticing specks of red, "You were coughing blood."

"..." Itachi said nothing, settling for continuing to look off into the distance.

"I'm going to get Sakura to look over you. She'll know what to do." Sasuke spoke.

"Sakura Haruno's alive too?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah, she and Naruto have been together since they left Konoha. They joined up with Kakashi's group a short time after they escaped the village."

"Impressive. I imagine that was no easy task for them."

"Sakura was partially infected for the longest time." Sasuke continued, "Naruto managed to placate her thirst for blood by letting her feed off of him. His regenerative abilities helped with that.

"...partially infected?" Itachi repeated, "You mean she had an immunity to the virus?"

"Well," Sasuke shrugged, "She said she managed to heal the bite wound she received after applying a haphazard disinfecting treatment to it. I doubt that would help with a virus or whatever this outbreak is all about. She could still mold chakra, was able to keep control of herself, and still had the heightened senses that the infection have."

"She had a natural immunity to it, then." Itachi nodded, "I remember hearing rumors of a few individuals having a slight tolerance to the initial effects."

"She's cured now, too."

"..._cured_?" Itachi spoke, skepticism clear in his voice, "I find that hard to bel-"

"We're all treated, Uchiha-san." spoke one of the ANBU, "Close to seventy-five percent of the shinobi populous will be cured by tomorrow morning."

Itachi looked to his younger brother again, "Is this true?"

"Yeah," Sasuke began, "Sakura managed to find someway to insert chakra into an antidote that came from Naruto's bloodstream. She said something about how the Kyuubi's chakra has natural 'chakra cleansing' properties when it goes through several filtration cycles. Somehow she managed to make a culture of antidote that merges with the infected person's blood, purges the infected cells, and manages to reverse the hormonal drive to consume blood. Something around those lines, anyway."

Itachi's expression was unreadable as he continued to look into Sasuke's eyes, "I see. Does the antidote have any effect on the mutated hunters?"

"Haruno-san didn't have any conclusive evidence at the time, but she believed that this antidote would kill a mutated human that's been infected." answered one of the ANBU. The other members of the ANBU team looked to the one who had spoken, a young male shinobi judging by their physique, "Well, I was there earlier today in case she needed any assistance. She was in the midst of running tests on the mutated samples. I believe she mentioned something about the proteins in the mutated cells 'denaturing' or whatever she called it."

"So it's an antidote and a poison..." Itachi commented.

"It would appear to be that way." the ANBU replied, "We cannot be too sure."

"Well, as long as you're not mutated, you'll probably need to take the antidote as well for our safety as well as your own." Sasuke added, "You and Kisame haven't been infected...right?"

"No. We managed to kill any infected without sustaining any side effects that would indicate such." the elder Uchiha brother shook his head, "It wasn't easy, but we've made it for this long. I'm certain we could have outlasted the waves of infected for several more months as long as we were careful."

Any further words that would have been spoken were cut off by the sound of a pair of feet landing on the roof. The group looked to see the ANBU that had gone to report to Yamato walking towards the captain of the group, "Yamato-taichou stated that he, Kakashi-senpai, Konan, and Asuma-senpai will give Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki an audience. Hoshigaki is currently being held at the Hokage Tower until he and Itachi Uchiha are both present."

"Very well," the captain turned to Itachi, "We'll have to place you under chakra restraints; you understand, of course."

Itachi nodded while holding his hands out. A pair of handcuffs were placed around his wrists before glowing blue. Itachi felt his chakra flow alter a bit, cutting off the circulation of the natural energy to a bare minimum. With that, the group headed towards the Hokage Tower where Itachi would give his explanation for their sudden appearance.

-ooOoo-

After around two hours of explaining what they had been through ever since the initial outbreak hit the Elemental Countries, and another hour and fifteen minutes of Itachi giving an abridged explanation for the Uchiha massacre, along with verification from Sasuke, the two former Akatsuki members were released from their restraints.

Sakura had quickly administered the antidote to Itachi and Kisame—though Itachi commented that she could have been a little gentler with sticking the syringe into his arm—and then the two were given time to rest.

Itachi found himself lying in one of the empty rooms of the refurbished hospital, listening intently to the sounds of the occasional nurse walking past his room to attend to other patients. He found it ironic that he would end up being hospitalized in the very place he had 'betrayed' years ago. He never expected for the place to become a safe haven for him.

The jingle of his room's door knob caught his attention. He turned his head as a flash of pink caught his eyes, "Haruno-san."

Sakura said nothing at first, her eyes instead falling to the clipboard at hand. She read the charts on it once before clearing her throat, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired."

Sakura felt a sigh escape her lips, "Could you be a bit more specific? Any nausea? Dizziness? Are you in any pain, acute or dull?"

"No, I feel nothing abnormal. The antidote seems to be working as you stated it would." Itachi replied, "I assume that you're not here on those grounds alone, are you?"

Sakura looked up from her clipboard, a frown marring her features, "If you had asked me that question about three hours ago, I would answer that I'd rather have had you killed. After all the pain you put Sasuke through, and in turn Naruto, I feel that you don't deserve this treatment. Though, after hearing the story about the truth behind the massacre..." She paused, "...I guess I'm starting to rethink those thoughts." She set down the clipboard while pulling out a small flashlight no larger than a pen. She pulled up a face mask she had around her neck before speaking, "Open your mouth."

Itachi quirked an eyebrow, "I wasn't informed that you'd be checking me physically, Haruno-san."

Sakura gave him an annoyed glare, "That's because this isn't an official physical. I'm doing this for Sasuke."

Itachi blinked once before sighing, "I told him I'm-"

"He said you coughed up blood. I may be young, Itachi-san, but I recall in my studies under Tsunade-sama that blood coming out of the mouth is _not_ healthy for humans." Sakura snapped, "Now, open your mouth before I call for assistance from the two ANBU down the hall."

Itachi closed his eyes before opening his mouth. Sakura clicked on the light, and took a look inside. She turned off the light and picked up the clipboard while writing in a few notes.

"Well?" Itachi asked.

"I need to do two more things, but I think I know your problem." Sakura snapped on two gloves and put a stethoscope on. She placed the hearing device on Itachi's chest and spoke, "Deep breaths, please."

Itachi took in deep breaths while Sakura listened, occasionally moving the instrument to different parts of his pectoral area. She eventually withdrew the stethoscope and got up, walking over to the sink. Itachi watched as she washed her hands thoroughly. She cleaned them off with a paper toweling before walking back over to Itachi.

"Now, for the last test, I'm going to need you to remain as still as possible, and keeping your chakra flow steady as you can manage. Understood?"

Itachi gave the young medi-nin a nod while lying back in his bed. Sakura placed her hands a few millimeters above Itachi's chest, and began to channel chakra into them. Her hands emitted a green glow as she carefully guided them over his entire torso area. Her expression was that of complete concentration.

If she were a few years older, Itachi may have even found her attractive. Not that she was ugly...just...too young for his tastes.

Sakura finished within three minutes time, pulling her hands back while taking off her mask. She went to her clipboard and scribbled down a few notes, "Well, congratulations, Itachi-san. You have Tuberculosis, and a bad case of it to boot." She set down the clipboard upon finishing her notes, looking the stoic man in the eyes, "How long have you been experiencing the coughing?"

"About two years. It only got to the point of coughing blood within the past year, though. I had been taking herbal supplements, but those only do so much, as we all know." Itachi gave a weak cough before continuing, "Is this the same case as it was with Hayate? Am I terminally ill?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "Hayate? You mean the proctor all those years back in our first Chuunin exam?" She shook her head, "No, luckily modern medicine and chakra therapy _can_ resolve this problem. It just won't be quick, and you'll be weak for several weeks as you go through treatment."

"Treatment? So you're going to keep me here longer?"

Sakura nodded, "I promised Sasuke that I'd do everything to the best of my knowledge. Since you're my responsibility, and I don't let my patients die, I'm going to do what has to be done."

"How weak will I be from this treatment?"

"Depends on how quickly you recover. Some are fine with only mild headaches, others are unable to leave the beds to relieve themselves." Sakura's smile didn't settle well with Itachi, "On the bright side, while this is a bad case of Tuberculosis, it looks to be fairly concentrated in only small pockets. That makes this easier than having to search and treat a wide area."

"I suppose I should thank you for doing this for me."

"Just don't die. That'll be enough thanks for me." Sakura got up and headed towards the door, "Sasuke said he would visit later on tonight. He wanted to talk to you about something to do with the 'clan secret' or whatever."

"Hm. If you see him, let him know I'll be waiting then." Itachi buttoned up his hospital garb top back together, "Would it be too much to ask for some food?"

"Glad you asked." Sakura pulled a paper out from her clipboard and handed it to Itachi, "Here's a menu you can select from."

Itachi quickly read it over before closing it, "Black tea with sugar and some fish with vegetables and cabbage. Perhaps some onigiri as well."

Sakura checked off the items on the small menu, "Got it." She made her way towards the door again, stopping briefly to speak, "By the way, Itachi...Sasuke mentioned something about you needing to speak with Naruto..."

Itachi could sense the protectiveness in her voice. He chose his words carefully, "Yes, that's true. It's very important that I speak with him. It involves the mutated, and if my information's right, the source of this entire damned outbreak."

Sakura blinked several times before turning around, "Well, Naruto's busy at the moment helping with the vaccinated patients. If he has time, I'll let him know that you wish to speak to him as well."

That answer seemed to be enough for Itachi, "Thank you, Haruno-san."

-ooOoo-

"Hidan, quit stealing all the meat, damn it!" Deidara warned. Hidan simply laughed as he took generous helpings of the meal, making sure that he grabbed the largest portions to further anger the blond, clay-using shinobi.

"Could you two please shut up?" Hana Inuzuka groused, looking up from her own meal, "Hidan, for the last time, meat is sparse around here right now. Put some of it back before I castrate you in the most painful way Anko can think of."

Anko perked up at the mentioning of her name, "What's up?"

Hidan frowned, "Fine, fine...damn women..."

"Excuse me?" Hana growled.

"Nothing! I'll put some of the damn meat back, cripes!" the immortal took his fork and jabbed several ribs of pork on his plate before putting them back on the serving tray. Deidara smirked, celebrating a personal victory while taking a spare rib for himself.

Along with the two kunoichi and two ex-Akatsuki members, Kakashi, Shizune, Iruka, Naruto, and Gaara were also eating. They would be on watch later tonight, so they decided to take advantage of their spare time while they could and grab a quick meal.

"Hey, Deidara, any idea on why Itachi and Kisame showed up? I thought Akatsuki fell apart."

Deidara shook his head, "Not sure, but from what it sounded like, no one got hurt. I don't even think there was a fight."

"I believe I was told by one of the ANBU that Itachi was actually quite cooperative." Gaara noted, "He seemed quite relaxed and didn't show any signs of intending to kill someone."

Kakashi peeked over the pages of Icha Icha, "He's currently on bed rest. He's being treated for Tuberculosis, at least that's what I heard from Sakura."

"Tuberculosis? Damn, sucks to be him." Hidan commented, "The arrogant bastard always spoke of how powerful he is, and now he's stuck to a bed with crap in his lungs." The silver haired shinobi laughed, "Serves him right."

"You're one to talk." Deidara spoke, "If it wasn't for that stupid jutsu of yours, you would have been dead ages ago."

Hidan and Deidara stared each other down before a knock at the door interrupted their silent glaring match. Iruka got up and opened the door, revealing a female ANBU.

"Is Naruto-san here?" the ANBU asked.

"Yeah, right here." Naruto replied.

The ANBU looked to the blond Jinchuuriki, "Uzumaki-san, you're presence is needed at the hospital. Haruno-san requested I come to retrieve you."

"Is something wrong?" Naruto asked, worry etching his features .

The ANBU shook her head, "I don't believe so. It sounded like she or someone else wished to speak with you about something related to the infection, and I believe Itachi Uchiha was the one who originally requested your presence. It sounded fairly important."

"Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can."

The ANBU bowed before disappearing with a _**Shunshin**_. Naruto got up and put on his jacket, "I guess I won't be joining you guys right away on patrol." He gave a quick wave to the group before leaving the hotel room they were staying in and headed towards the hospital.

Naruto couldn't help but wonder what Itachi of all people wanted to talk to him about, _"What could Itachi possibly want with me? Is he possibly trying to capture me again? Not likely, considering he was fairly weak from what I heard. It would be suicide on his part; Konoha iss crawling with ANBU at all times. Someone would notice a fight in the hospital fairly quickly."_

Whatever the case, if this request for his presence was of relation to the infection, then maybe Itachi had more information on how to cure it, or how to stop the mutated from spreading the new strain out to the rest of the world. Naruto was willing to take his chances if it meant a chance to set things right in the world.

-ooOoo-

Somewhere within the mountainous regions of Kumogakure, a figure stood underneath the dim lighting of a table lamp. He was poring over various scrolls while mumbling to himself, trying to piece all the information he had together.

"I just need the last piece of the puzzle." the figure spoke, his gloved hands running over one of the images on the scroll while his single visible eye took in the fine details. It was a rather ornate drawing, to be precise. One of an animal. An unusual animal.

A fox with nine tails.

**End of Chapter Fifteen- Now, before you all flay me alive, let me apologize for the extremely—and I use that word only because I can't think of a better one—long wait for this update. I had to do a bit of a rethinking on this story. A few of my original ideas weren't playing out so well for me. I blame it partially on my inability to remember fine details sometimes, and also on my other fics as well. What can I say? I love fanfiction!**

**Yeah, I realize there wasn't much action. To be honest, I intended for that. This chapter is a transition point in the story. As for the whole meeting/reunion between Sasuke and Itachi, and the lack of fighting, think of it this way. Itachi managed to catch Sasuke in the Tsukuyomi, and then went about explaining his reasons for all that he's done within three days time, at least in Sasuke's view it seemed that way. Three days, while still short, would be enough for a shinobi to come to terms with most shocking things. Sasuke, being the relatively cool and collected individual, could probably accept such things, especially with Itachi still alive (and not dead, RIP canon-series Itachi).**

**If things go accordingly, I'll hopefully be updating this story again soon. I tend to go in streaks with my fics; if I get going again, I'm sure I'll be on a roll with this baby. Don't fret, though. I haven't forgotten this fic. I mean, c'mon, it's shinobi vs. infected-mutant zombie-esque creatures. How could I forget?**

On a side note, to those of you who have been asking me: I have never played any Resident Evil games. I only have a very loose concept of the plot behind the series, so this fic isn't based on the game. If it seems that way, it's sheer coincidence. Though, thinking about it now, I do have a Gamecube...maybe I should get RE 4 or something. I only heard good things about it from my friends. Anyway, just so you all know, this is NOT a crossover between Naruto and Resident Evil.

On a final note, I want to thank Paradox Jast. He really helped pretty this chapter up with his spelling and grammar skills, heh. Thanks, Jast!


	16. Call For Help

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. 'Nuff said.**

**Outbreak Part II******

Chapter Sixteen: Call For Help

Naruto stood outside the door to the room where Itachi Uchiha was currently being treated. Naruto had only received a brief explanation from Sakura when he met with her in the hospital; it sounded like Itachi wasn't in the best of health, and was being kept in his room while undergoing various medical procedures. It sounded like Tuberculosis, and Naruto hardly knew anything about that kind of stuff. It was in Itachi's lungs, and it would continue to worsen if he didn't get it removed.

The blond had been standing before Itachi's door for almost a minute now. The Uchiha probably knew he was there by now if he hadn't right away. Naruto raised his hand, and knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in."

Naruto opened the door, and quietly closed it behind him. He looked to the bed on the other side of the room, and sure enough, there was Itachi Uchiha, wearing a standard hospital gown.

"...I was told that you wanted to speak with me." Naruto spoke calmly, "I don't really know why, but if you try and pull anything, keep in mind that there are ANBU littering the hospital as I speak. They'll notice if you try anything."

Itachi smirked, "Your distrust in me is well placed." He sat up a bit and grunted as he straightened himself out, "I'm not here to capture you, Naruto-kun. Far from it." He looked to the night sky, the moon shining brightly through the clouds, "I'm assuming you already have heard that Kisame and I have departed with Akatsuki?"

"Well..." Naruto shrugged, "Deidara and Konan informed me that Akatsuki's no more. Hidan seemed unaware, but he didn't really look to care all that much anyway."

"Deidara and Konan?" Itachi gave a hum before continuing, "It's true though; Akatsuki no longer exists. It's now simply Madara Uchiha."

"Uchiha?" Naruto sighed, "You mean there's another survivor?"

"No, he was around before the massacre happened." Itachi explained, "Sit down, I have much to discuss with you. I hope you have enough free time to listen."

The blond took a seat on the opposite end of the room, "I have time. Depends on if it's worth my while."

"It will be." Itachi replied, "First, let me give you a brief history of Konoha's founding days..."

-ooOoo-

It was almost half past one in the morning by the time Itachi had given Naruto an abridged version of his explanation to Sasuke. He was surprised to find that Naruto seemed to buy the story so easily. Itachi looked over to see the blond had somehow moved his chair to the foot of his bed during the talk, "Do you understand all of that?"

Naruto was quiet, shaking his head out of disbelief, not confusion. He looked up to Itachi, "How did you manage to live with that hanging over you all those years?"

"I forced myself to live the role of the nuke-nin. I took on the life of a rogue, and convinced myself that I would be one." He closed his eyes, exhaling a bit, "Anyway, I have more important things to discuss with you."

"I figured as much." Naruto laughed a little, "Lay it on me. May as well throw more on me while I'm listening."

"Very well." Itachi's eyes locked with Naruto's, "I will start by stating that as of right now, humanity's chance of survival are slim to none. Without you though, there is no hope."

"What?" Naruto tensed a bit as he let the words of the elder Uchiha sink in, "What do you mean? We have a cure! We're immune to the viru-"

"The infection is only a step in the big picture, Naruto." Itachi interrupted, "Madara Uchiha is only a single step away from conquering all of the Elemental Countries. If he succeeds in his plans, the world will be bowing before him."

"How?"

Itachi sighed, "That's the problem; I only understand a portion of his plan. It involves the Kyuubi and the other Jinchuuriki. I have no idea what how, but it's my belief that he's harnessed the energy of eight of the nine captured bijuu and is using it to control the mutated."

Naruto's eyes widened, "You're kidding me..."

"I wish I was." Itachi shook his head, "Madara Uchiha's a shadow of what he used to be, but he's this close to becoming the most powerful man in the world."

"Great, so how do we go about stopping him?"

"That's where you come in, Naruto." Itachi replied, "You are the only Jinchuuriki left. We captured the Hachibi a few weeks before the outbreak started." The Uchiha turned back to the window, "As of now, you alone have the key to defeating him."

"The Kyuubi." Naruto stated. Itachi simply nodded a reply. The blond ran a hand through his hair before speaking again, "How am I supposed to stop a guy like Madara who has the power of all but one of the tailed demons?"

Itachi gave a ghost of a smile as he looked to Naruto, "The Kyuubi is supposedly the strongest of the tailed demons. You'll have to destroy the container for the bijuu, and then we'll have to kill Madara."

Naruto seemed to understand that much. There was one thing that bothered him though, "Itachi, why was Akatsuki gathering the bijuu up like that?"

"I only have a vague idea of why Madara had us doing that. Pain, our leader, stated that we were to create a weapon that would have the ability to erase an entire nation from existence within seconds."

The blond's eyes widened, "Seconds?"

"Correct."

Naruto slumped into his chair, "I...I can't believe that. Is that possible?"

Itachi shook his head, "When it comes to the power of the bijuu, logic and understanding are very limited to us humans."

"...how much time do we have?"

The Uchiha's eyes met with Naruto's, "That's entirely up to you, Naruto. We could leave tomorrow, next week...two years from now..." Itachi shrugged, "If you want my honest opinion, Madara won't let us have more than three or four months before he tries to capture you himself."

"Huh..." Naruto got up, "I guess I better get training then."

"The training you receive here, while no doubt beneficial, won't be enough alone." Itachi stated, "You'll have to find away to become as strong as one of the Kage, if not stronger."

"In only a few months?" Naruto shook his head, "Look, I know I'm stronger than a lot of people, but that's just insane. I don't think there's a way that will allow me to-"

"There's one way." Itachi began, cutting the blond off, "I...kept in contact with Jiraiya-sama after I left Konoha. I was one of his informants..."

Naruto was surprisingly unresponsive. Itachi assumed that Naruto was just taking it all in stride; he had given the worse of the information to him already, so telling him this was probably not all that big of a shock to him.

Itachi continued, "Jiraiya-sama once told me that if something should happen to him, and the two of us ever met under circumstances like this, that I should inform you to contact a toad named Fukasaku. He apparently has the training you'll need for situations such as this."

"Fukasaku?" Naruto rolled the name around in his mind a few times before shaking his head, "I've never heard of a toad summon by that name."

"That's understandable; he's one of the elder toads." Itachi replied, "He has the training you need to become a true sage. He can teach you the arts of Senjutsu."

-ooOoo-

Kakashi stood on the wall overlooking the forest in front of the main gate of Konoha. It was a rather peaceful night, if one ignored the incessant noise made by the mutated beings outside the wall.

A chakra signature that he recognized as Iruka was approaching him. He turned around as the Chuunin appeared in front of him. The scarred ninja looked to the Jounin, "Anything to report?"

Kakashi shook his head, "Nothing really. Those sounds are getting louder, but I can't be too sure if they're just vocalizing more or moving closer."

"I wouldn't be too surprised if it was a bit of both." Iruka commented, "The shinobi who've been living here since the outbreak told me that some of the mutated actually seem to be playing a game of psychological warfare with us."

"Figures." Kakashi grumbled, "Hear anything from Naruto?"

The Chuunin shrugged, "Nothing new; must still be talking with Itachi Uchiha."

"I'd really like to know what exactly it is that Itachi wished to speak to Naruto about." Kakashi spoke as he watched the tree tops, "Itachi was a great shinobi, I can't deny that. It's because of that fact that I don't trust him, even if he's bedridden."

Iruka frowned, "You think there's some ulterior motive?"

"Well, I would like to say so, but I can't be one hundred percent certain with the recent events in the Elemental Countries. We've all changed drastically, even if we haven't realized it. Enemies are friends, and anyone who's not trying to kill us is considered family. The very fact that Sasuke didn't try to outright kill Itachi speaks volumes about how much the infection has affected the shinobi world."

"I know what you mean." Iruka agreed, "Anko's changed a lot too. She's quieter, and much more patient with things."

"She's also more needy from what I hear, especially in regards to you." Kakashi added. Iruka's cheeks flushed a bit, but he gave no reply.

The sound of footprints landing behind them caused the two to turn around, only to be met with Hidan, who was dressed in a black shirt and cargo pants with numerous pockets. Hidan gave a nod to the two, "Anything?"

Iruka shook his head, "They're just loud and annoying, as always."

"Tch," Hidan rolled his eyes, "The mutated bastards just better hope they don't try to pull anything while I'm around." He shifted the weight of his scythe to his opposite shoulder, "Hana and her hounds had no problems either. I'm going to go check with that red haired kid-"

"You mean Gaara?" Kakashi asked.

Hidan waved a hand, "Yeah, the former Kazekage...he's been patrolling for the last couple nights, and has been trying to see if he can figure anything out about them."

Kakashi nodded, "Alright. I'll go check with Shizune and Anko, see if they've found anything as well." The Jounin made a hand seal before disappearing in a whirl of leaves.

Iruka sighed, "Did you see Deidara by any chance?"

Hidan pointed up to the sky. Iruka gave him a quizzical look before following Hidan's direction, and looked up. Sure enough, there in the night sky was a single, winged object. Deidara was flying on one of his clay birds.

"Heh, it pays to have someone who can serve as lookout from above." Iruka commented.

"Whatever; I think he's just too much of a coward to stay on the ground where attacks are more likely to occur." Hidan turned around, "Well, I'm off."

The former Akatsuki member jumped onto a nearby roof, heading off towards what Iruka assumed was the direction that Gaara was located.

-ooOoo-

While the village of Konoha slumbered peacefully through the night, several days' travel north lay the Land of Snow, or as others had begun to call it, the Land of Spring. It had endured for several months now on the bare minimum needed to sustain a civilization. The country had gone into a state of martial law, which the citizens didn't really have a problem with.

After all, the human world was all but overrun with infected, bloodsucking creatures now. May as well make the best of it.

"Kazahana-sama, we've made the proper preparations for the owls. Shall we send them off?"

Yuki Kazahana, the current leader of the isolated island nation, sighed deeply, "Are you certain that these owls are able to sense the difference between infected and non-infected humans?"

"Positive." The Jounin before her bowed, "Yukigakure has conducted every test possible, and the owls have gained the ability to detect the differences."

She nodded, closing her eyes while placing a hand on her forehead, "Very well. We don't have many other options as it stands. See to it that the birds are well fed before they leave."

"Of course, milady." The Jounin stood up before bowing once more, then disappearing in a flurry of snow.

The princess stood up and walked towards the nearest window looking over the snow covered lands of her nation. She was the sole monarch alive in all of the Elemental Nations, as far as she was aware. The rest were either long dead, or among the droves of infected. She would see her nation's survival to the bitter end though. She had no other choice.

"I just hope that there are some still alive..." she spoke to herself as she walked away from the window, gracefully making her way to the table beside her throne where she kept all the important documents she had looked over. Most of them were domestic issues, which wasn't surprising, considering the rest of the world was in utter chaos. Looking at a map, she studied the area where she had a red 'X' marked on Fire Country.

From what her shinobi had told her, the scouting birds they had sent a week ago came back with reports—which the aviary specialists were able to learn about from the birds—indicating that the village of Konohagakure was still standing.

Now she was sending out several of her carrier owls to see if perhaps the village was safe. If she could get even a few hundred shinobi from Konoha to know that her country still exists, she was certain that there would be an increased chance in lasting longer in the midst of this post-apocalyptic world.

The thought of Konoha made her chuckle a bit. She still remembered her first encounter with the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. Namely one blond who had an attitude and an unshakable will.

"I hope you're alright, Naruto." Yuki thought as she looked out her window once more to see that a light snowfall had begun...again.

Soon they'd have to start the spring generators again to warm up the countryside. The need for more food was high, and unless they managed to grow more crops to feed livestock and the people of her nation, starvation would overtake the entire island.

That, and there were supposedly about a good several thousand infected that were separated from her nation by the couple hundred miles of ocean between them. She had received reports though that some of the infected were possibly capable of traveling overseas now.

If that was the case, the Land of Spring would be done for without help.

-ooOoo-

"How are you feeling today, Itachi?"

The Uchiha looked up to see the rosette kunoichi walking in with a clipboard in hand and her nurse uniform on. He shrugged, "Better than two weeks ago, I suppose. No pain, but I feel rather weak, as you stated I would."

"You know, I told you that you'd recover faster if you stopped insisting on eating all of those boxes of pocky." Sakura reprimanded lightly while pointing to a box of chocolate pocky by the elder Uchiha's bedside, "I still don't know why you buy so many of them at once. That stuff will rot your teeth out."

"I brush my teeth three times a day, Sakura-san. I'll be fine." Itachi replied while Sakura rolled her eyes, taking out her stethoscope. She ran through the usual routine that she did every other day with the Uchiha, making sure to ask if he felt any pain as she did so.

"How about your breathing? No pain when you inhale or exhale?"

"None, but I find it slightly difficult to take in deep breaths without coughing." Itachi answered, "No pain though when I cough, mind you."

Sakura nodded, "That's good, that means you're recovering then." She finished scratching a few notes on the clipboard before her, "I'm assuming you want the cabbage with onigiri and fish for lunch?"

"Please." Itachi replied. Sakura simply gave a wave as she left the room.

It had been two weeks since Itachi and Kisame had settled inside Konoha's walls. They, like all of the village's inhabitants, were now immune to the infection. Kisame had joined up with the rest of the shinobi forces, taking his turn patrolling the village walls and reporting any activity that was suspicious.

Aside from that, Itachi had managed to make amends with his younger brother, as well as the rest of Konoha...at least what was left of it that knew of him.

On top of trying to recover as quickly as possible from his treatment for Tuberculosis, the Uchiha was taking time to try and recover his eyesight, at least what he could. He warned Sasuke about the dangers of using the Mangekyou, as well as the price that one must pay for it. He had told his brother once before about how to obtain the Mangekyou when he had killed the Uchiha clan, and while he had hoped Sasuke would become powerful enough to combat—and kill—him someday, the recent events had changed things drastically for two Uchiha. Itachi was thankful that Sasuke had yet to gain the cursed eyes of their clan.

A knock at the door alerted Itachi to the presence of Naruto by his door, "Sasuke told me to stop by and make sure you weren't stuffing yourself with pock-" The blond looked to see the opened box of sweets, and frowned, "Uh huh..."

"They're simply a pleasure I indulge in, Naruto. I have few things like that, so I would ask that you don't take them from me."

Naruto snorted, "You just have a sweet tooth, that's all."

"You have no right to lecture me, seeing as you would prefer to eat nothing but miso ramen and red bean soup if you had things your way."

"W-well..." Naruto shook his head, "Anyway, you doing alright? Sakura-chan said you're recovering fairly well."

"If she says so, then I suppose I have to take her word for it." The Uchiha shrugged, "Personally, I just feel a bit weak right now."

"Yeah...it's going to suck when you have to get your muscles back into shape after bed rest."

"It wouldn't be the first time a shinobi had to do something like that."

The blond gave a laugh, "Right...say, by the way, do you-?" He paused and looked off into space for a moment. Itachi raised an eyebrow at the blond's sudden silence.

"What?" A moment later, Naruto shook his head, and Itachi seemed to catch on, "Something happened to one of your Shadow Clones?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, one of them dispelled; apparently we got some kind of owl flying around the Hokage Tower. Looks like it had a message from somewhere."

"A message?" Itachi repeated, "You're certain?"

Naruto shook his head, "I can't be sure. Maybe it was just a stray owl that's been wandering the skies ever since it's home village got destroyed."

"Well, there's only so many nations that use owls for messengers."

"Hm...it looked like one of those snowy owls that you see when you go into the snowy areas up in the northern countries." the blond noted, "You have any idea where it could be from?"

"Snowy Owl?" Itachi gave a grunt, "If that's the case, there's only one possible place that bird could have come from..."

-ooOoo-

Yamato, Kakashi, Konan, Deidara, Anko, and Asuma stood around the desk in what was once the Hokage's office, looking over the scroll they had found attached to the Snowy Owl that was now resting on the perch near the window. They had been surprised when an ANBU had informed them that there was such a bird flying around here during this time of the year, let alone the fact that it was carrying a scroll in its talons.

"It's genuine. It has the seal of Koyuki Kazahana herself on it." Yamato stated as he looked over the scroll, "Hm...it seems there in a similar debacle like us. She's surrounded by ocean, has a single barrier dividing her from the infected, and there's a risk that the nation could be stormed any week now with the ocean currents warming up."

"What should we do?" Konan asked, leaning against a wall, "The chances of us being able to get to the Land of Spring are small with the infected around us at all times, not to mention that we don't have the manpower to assist them in such a struggle."

Yamato sighed, "That's true..."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "Tenzou, don't tell me you're honestly thinking of offering them help." The wood-user gave no reply, "Look, I'm all for helping those in need most times, but don't forget that we're in a bit of a crisis ourselves." He pointed outside, "In case you forgot, they're all out there waiting for us to exit those walls.

"I have to agree with Kakashi, Yamato." spoke Anko, who was chewing on a stick that had a single dango on it, "We're outnumbered by several hundred if what your reports say is true. We're not capable of reaching the Land of Spring to offer them some help if we can't even insure that we'll get through the Konoha Forest without getting wiped out."

Yamato looked to the the other member in their group that was present, "Well, there's always Deidara. He can create a few of those clay birds of his and we can fly to-"

"Hey, that requires chakra in order to keep them flying you know, un!" Deidara griped, "That time in Suna was an exception; we had no other options. Besides, we didn't do several days' worth of travel in that one night. We stopped after only a few hours at most."

"Well, there goes that idea." Anko stated with a somber chuckle, "Looks like we don't have any other choice but to ignore it."

Yamato cursed under his breath, "...we can't stay in Konoha forever. We're already straining ourselves as far as food and water go. Our best estimates indicate about another three months at _most_ for living off our resources at the rate we are. We've already instated the village-wide blackouts every night at sundown to conserve energy, and we're trying to maximize crop production as much as possible within the limited farming space inside the walls of Konoha."

"I suppose this is the part where someone suggests a crazy idea, right?" Asuma joked as he put out his cigarette in the ashtray on a table nearby.

"Actually..." Kakashi began, and Asuma sent him a look, daring him to go through with the 'crazy idea' routine. Kakashi put a hand up in defense before continuing, "Suppose...we find a way to spread the vaccine to the outside without any direct contact."

The room was quiet for a few seconds before Anko's eyes lit up, "The river! That's it!"

Yamato caught on quickly, and nodded, "Yeah! The Little Fire Country River runs right through Konoha; we could disperse the vaccine out to the forest behind the walls by putting it in the river..." He frowned, "It...it's still effective if it's placed in water, right?"

"That answer is for Sakura or Shizune to give. They created it, Hana contributed to the vaccine's effectiveness on canines. Diluting the vaccine _probably_ won't affect it's potency if it's ingested directly, but none of us know." Konan answered, "I can go ask Sakura and Shizune about this. I'm sure they'll be able to tell us for sure if that's possible."

With a quick hand seal, Konan dispersed into a cloud of paper cranes and flew out a window towards the hospital. The group watched her for a moment before Deidara spoke, "Well, looks like we may have a solution to our problem, un." He looked towards a picture of the most recently made map of the Elemental Countries, which was drawn up about one year before the whole outbreak had begun, "Judging from the distance of Hidden Spring to Konoha, and considering that we'll find a way to travel overseas..."

He sighed while running through the numbers in his head, "If we kept a consistent rate of travel, we could reach Hidden Snow within a week and a half. This Snowy Owl probably covered that distance in less than three days time if it stopped only once a day to eat and rest. Typically that's the case with messenger birds in the shinobi village...well...hm..." He sighed again, a hand running through his hair, "Then again, you have to take in the metabolic rates and energy requirements for the bird depending on its species. There's also the large mountain range south of Kumogakure that the bird probably had to circumnavigate around, _and_ the winds blowing from the west have a factor as well..."

Yamato opened his mouth to question Deidara, but Kakashi shook his head, "Just let him do his thing. He apparently took some courses in geography and cartography when he was still an Iwa-nin."

After about five minutes of listening to the former Iwa-nin murmuring to himself, Anko groaned, "Deidara, just spit it out already!"

Deidara sent Anko an annoyed look before shrugging, "Considering it's early spring right now, the rivers are probably high. If we take that, along with crossing over the large mountain ranges, which run south of Lightning and through northern Swamp and Rice Country, it would take actually take about two weeks to reach the shores of the ocean north of us. It's our fastest route compared to taking a ship and going around the coast and north to the Land of Spring."

"Fair enough; now we just need word from Sakura and Shizune on the matter involving the vaccine." Yamato stated, "Hopefully this will work. I'm positive that the infected have been using the river for their main water source..." He shook his head, "I can't believe I didn't think of something like this sooner."

"Heh," Asuma gave a nod, "That's the way it is though, isn't it? Some of the best solutions are right in front of you and you never notice them."

-ooOoo-

No more than an hour after Konan had talked to Sakura did the young medic-nin begin to run experiments on the vaccine's durability in water. The potency was hardly affected by dilution, according to their findings, and much to the relief of all the shinobi within Konoha.

A day had passed before they began preparing large vats of the vaccine to be dumped into the water. The amount needed to affect a mutant were surprisingly low. If the vaccine actually had an effect on an ordinary infected individual, the substance would be considered something akin to a highly lethal poison.

After the vaccine was poured into the waters, the shinobi of Konohagakure played the waiting game with the mutated. It wasn't until a day or two had passed when they received a report from a scouting team that several mutated were found dead along the riverbank about a half a mile from Konoha's walls. The bodies showed no signs of life, and had already begun to show signs of decay.

Yamato called forth the remaining forces of Chuunin, Jounin, and ANBU to the center of town. Along with him were Naruto and the other survivors, as well as Ino and Chouji.

"As I'm sure most of you are aware, the vaccine was a success on the mutants. It's lethality has proven to be as strong as Sakura had predicted. We will now begin making preparations to have several platoons leave for the Land of Spring to provide support and the vaccine as well. From what we understand, they have managed to avoid the initial wave of the outbreak and have been staving off attacks thanks to their country's isolation and the cold." Yamato looked before crowd of about three hundred ninja before him; it was a small number, but there was the fact that these were ninja who had survived through hell on Earth. They were more than qualified for such scenarios, "I will be keeping more than half of our forces within the village for the obvious reason of protecting Konoha. We cannot be sure how long the vaccine will remain active in the waters, but hopefully a good portion of the mutated are dead within these woods, or dying."

Yamato continued on with explaining that the platoons leaving for the Land of Spring would also be in charge of clearing the forests of mutated while moving through them. This was to insure that any who may have survived initial consumption of the vaccine were killed to prevent an immunity from spreading on to future generations.

Soon enough about one hundred and fifty shinobi were packed and ready to leave for Hidden Snow within the Land of Spring.

"So, how long did Deidara say this trip would take?" Kiba asked as he ran through his supplies a third time to make sure nothing was missing.

"About two weeks, I think. He estimated that with the spring thaw that the weather won't be nearly as cold north of us, so travel will be easier." Tenten replied as she sealed several hundred kunai within her scrolls, "Taking into consideration that Deidara's pretty good at measuring distances with how much he's traveled by air, I think that's a pretty accurate length of time for us."

Among the others that had joined the support team for Land of Spring were Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Sasuke, Ino, Chouji, Anko, Iruka, Hinata, Temari, Shikamaru, Lee, Hidan, Deidara, Itachi, and Kisame. Initially Hanabi had tried to go as well, but Hinata insisted that as much as she hated to admit it, they were the last living Hyuuga. If something were to happen to Hinata, Hanabi would be in charge of continuing on the bloodline. It had hurt for Hanabi to see her only remaining family leave, but Hinata's abilities would likely be needed.

Sasuke had been against Itachi coming with because of health reasons, but Sakura had defended Itachi by stating he had made a full recovery. His vision was still a bit hazy, but Sakura stated that if they managed to return to Konoha after this mission to Hidden Snow, she had a possible way to solve the problem if what she heard from Itachi would help with her theory.

Kisame and Hidan tagged along namely because they would have been bored out of their minds if they stuck around to protect Konoha. The possibility of being able to burn off some steam was a welcome proposition to the two.

Yamato decided to stay behind since he had become the unofficial leader of Konoha. He was needed here. Those from the group of survivors that stayed behind had done so namely because of age and experience in the case of Moegi and Hanabi, or their abilities were needed within the village, as was the case with Shizune being one of the few truly experienced medic-nin in Konoha. Sakura was more battle ready with her natural immunity to the virus, and a field medic was always a great cushion to have in a possible battle against hordes of rabid mutants.

Konan and Gaara had stuck behind for the purpose of defending one of the few safe havens left within the mainland. They wanted to join the support team, but decided after some forethought that it would be better helping within Konoha's walls. However, if something were to happen to the one-hundred fifty ninja during the mission, they would be the first to leave to provide further assistance.

Asuma also stayed in Konoha for one very big reason; Kurenai was staying behind with their soon-to-be-born child. They didn't want to experience the possibility of being separated from her a second time and not know if one or the other was alive or not.

It was close to noon by the time they were leaving the walls of Konoha. While shinobi and stealth tend to go hand in hand, sending off more than one hundred at a single time was bound to draw attention. Therefore, the teams were sent out in groups of four to five in different directions at first. They would eventually change course and head towards the rendezvous point in northern Fire Country.

Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi, Itachi, and Sasuke were one of these groups. As they silently jumped through the trees, Naruto would look towards Sakura every so often to see how she was doing. She had the vaccine, yes, but he had formed a habit months back of checking on her every few minutes while traveling to see if she was in need of blood.

Sakura noticed the blond looking to her, and offered him a smile, "I'm fine, Naruto. I'm cured, remember?" She flashed him a grin, her elongated canines reminding him that there were effects that would always remain with her from the infection. Then again, he found the slightly sharper than normal incisors kind of cute.

He'd never tell her though.

Kakashi had Pakkun running ahead of the group to make sure that they wouldn't be ambushed, and to inform them if any of their other fellow shinobi were nearby. The small nin-hound had stated on several occasions that he smelled the decaying bodies of mutants, which was a welcome bit of knowledge for the five shinobi.

Eventually the group met up with about four other groups of shinobi from Konoha, one of them consisting of a group of ANBU who had volunteered to go on the mission. An hour later they met up with Iruka and Anko's group, then they caught up with the group being lead by Deidara. By nightfall, almost all the shinobi had managed to form a massive entity that was leaping through the dense northern woods of Fire Country. They had no casualties, much to their surprise. That meant one of two things.

"Either the vaccine is moving through the waters faster than we expected, or they're watching us." Kakashi stated to the shinobi that sat around a large fire while he spoke. They had just reached their destination a half hour ago; a field just north of where the trees ended and the sparser vegetation began, "I expect no less than thirty shinobi to be awake at any given time tonight. Our enemy has the advantage, even if we have the vaccine. They are at home in these woods, keep that in mind. We're in _their_ territory right now."

As the shinobi bunked down in the large field, no one was more than a few feet away from another shinobi at any given time. While they were leaving themselves open, they stood a better chance of being able to pick out enemies if they were all together within a large perimeter than to have more loses while being spread apart.

-ooOoo-

Naruto awoke the following morning to something prodding his cheek. He opened his eyes slowly and grumbled to himself before seeing a view he had come to enjoy waking up to in the morning.

"Good morning," grinned Sakura as she laughed at his sleepy expression, "Sorry disturb your beauty sleep, but Kakashi-sensei just said he wants the group to get moving within the hour."

Naruto gave a exasperated sigh as he sat up, "Damn, what time is it?"

"Half past six."

Naruto gave the pink haired kunoichi an incredulous look, and turned towards the slowly brightening horizon. Sure enough, the first rays of light were casting a yellow and golden hue over the otherwise dark sky, "Geesh, what's with the early start?"

Sakura rolled her eyes as she handed Naruto a ration bar, which he bit into, "The sooner we get to the Land of Spring, the better. Don't forget that we're in a land that's not exactly the best place to camp out in anymore."

The blond gave a grunt of agreement and stretched. Looking around, he noted that most of the other shinobi were either awake or in the process of doing so as well. Near the now extinguished fire stood Kakashi, who was talking to Deidara and several Jounin.

Naruto stood up and quickly cleaned up his area, sealing away his sleeping bag as well as Sakura's. The young kunoichi excused herself, stating she had to go check on a few shinobi who had received minor injuries from a scuffle with a group of mutants.

It was a bit surprising to Naruto, actually. There were virtually no encounters outside of a minor incident with about a dozen of the mutated infected. No deaths had occurred, but one Chuunin had lost a finger on his throwing hand as a result. Sakura had patched up the injury without trouble, however.

Walking through the crowds of shinobi, Naruto stopped as he came upon two familiar faces, "Morning guys."

Sasuke looked up from his cup of tea while Itachi was busy chewing on a piece of dried meat. They both nodded to the blond, Sasuke speaking first, "Hey. You hear about the fight last night?"

"Yeah, Sakura-chan just told me. I didn't hear any of it last night."

Itachi gave a nod, "I was actually on guard at the time. It seemed like the mutated were getting desperate. They were disposed of without much trouble, and hardly put up a fight."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "You think it's because they're starving out there?"

"Likely." Itachi replied, "Considering that the vaccine supposedly killed off any that had been drinking from the main water source of Fire Country for the past couple days, and the fact that they have no blood to consume, it's very possible."

Naruto shook his head, "I'm still surprised that it's been this easy so far for us." He looked towards the woods to the south of them, "We got through their without a single attack from them. It's not right."

Itachi closed his eyes for a moment, "Let's just be thankful for now. Chances are that we'll have plenty of them to deal with once we get further north. Deidara predicted that about only one-fifth of our enemies within the region are dead; the rest are all concentrated north."

The group of one-hundred fifty ninja were soon all ready to go once more, having eaten and cleaned up the area as best as possible to hide evidence of their presence to any that may stumble upon their former campsite.

A day or so had passed when they ran into another group of mutated. Hinata, who had her Byakugan activated at the time, was able to forewarn those in front. It had rained steel upon the mutated, and only one managed to even get close to the shinobi, biting a Genin before receiving a kunai to the temple. The young boy was given a quick treatment from one of his teammates who was also a medic-nin without incident, luckily.

Deidara and Kakashi were overlooking the body of one of the mutants, "Wow...Yamato wasn't kidding at all about their forms, un."

The silver haired Jounin nodded while staring at the beast-like creature, "I'm guessing that those over-sized bottom teeth aren't for looks." He squatted down while keeping a single hand on his kunai pouch, just in case, "It's upper body looks like it carries most of the weight too. Look at the size of those arms..."

"We call those kinds 'Wreckers'." stated Ino, who had been nearby and noticed the two looking over the dead mutant, "They're not so bad, really. While none of the mutated ever have a similar look to them, the Wreckers usually have gigantic arms and that large under bite." She frowned, "Not that bright either, but you don't want to be caught up with one and have several of the smarter ones nearby."

Kakashi glanced over to the Yamanaka, "I take it they're used for causing panic in groups."

Ino gave a nod, "Typically. While they're running around and trying to destroy anything that bleeds, the other mutants pick off anyone unfortunate enough to get caught. We managed to catch them off guard though, so it's no surprise that we avoided injury."

Kakashi and Deidara looked to the nearby shinobi, only to receive nods. The silver haired Jounin shook his head, "Then I guess it was a good thing that Hinata had her Byakugan activated at the time."

After taking a few minutes to rest, the mass of shinobi continued northward. It was close to sunset when Hinata again signaled for the others to halt. This time she didn't speak right away, but just by looking at her pale face it was easy to see that something disturbing was within her line of sight. A few other Hyuuga that were part of the group activated their Byakugan, and gave similar grim expressions.

Kiba decided to speak to the young Hyuuga heiress, "Hinata, what's wrong? What do you see?"

Hinata shook her head, "I-I'm not entirely sure...I have this strangest sensation coming over me right now, and my Byakugan's being affected by some odd jutsu of sorts."

"What's it like, Hinata?" asked Deidara, who was now at the front once more, "Give us details."

"I-I don't know how to explain it. It's like someone just placed a dense mist of chakra ahead of us...but...it's not moving so much as it is just staying in place." Her pale eyes looked forward as the bulging nerves of her kekkai genkai remained visible, "It feels like a dark cloud's been cast ahead."

Naruto, who happened to overhear the conversation, spoke up, "I'll scout ahead."

Kakashi frowned, "Not by yourself you're not."

"Fine, I'll go with him." spoke Shikamaru, "I can get an idea of what we're looking at, maybe."

After a few moments, about sixteen shinobi, among them being Naruto, Shikamaru, Hidan, and Tenten, went ahead into the supposed 'fog' of chakra.

"Tch, fog? I don't see anything. That little Hyuuga princess was probably just seeing things..." Hidan snickered, "For all we know, maybe she was just going nuts from all the pressure of...whoa..."

The white haired scythe user stopped talking as a feeling of dread suddenly crept upon the group. A few of the ANBU drew their short swords, one of them looking to Naruto, the apparent leader, "Uzumaki-san, what do you suppose this is?"

Naruto shook his head, "I'd say Genjutsu...but it's too real."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "Naruto, you're a dud at Genjutsu, how can you tell?"

"Just because I suck at Genjutsu doesn't mean I haven't learned to sense it. This feels different." the blond retorted in a whisper, "Tenten, get behind me. You're vision's better than mine; if anything is waiting for us, you'll be the first to pick it off."

The brunette gave a nod and quietly leaped by the blond, pulling out a handful of projectile weapons that were tied to a string, "I've got your back, Naruto."

The sixteen shinobi carried onward, but stopped as Shikamaru pointed out something, "Hold on...it looks like there's a few buildings up ahead."

Sure enough, there were. Several small structures were standing, lined up on either side of a small dirt road that the ninja had been following for the past hour, seeing as it lead northward. Hidan frowned, "The place is like a ghost town..."

One of the ANBU jumped ahead to Naruto, and spoke, "Uzumaki-san, Ko, the sensor in our group, hasn't felt any sentient presence since we entered the supposed fog. She can sense some wildlife, however, so the fog's obviously not meant to hinder abilities like a sensor's."

Naruto gave a nod, then pointed to two of the Jounin that were with the group, "Report back to the main group, inform them on what we've encountered. If they want to send more shinobi, then go ahead," He looked down to the small buildings, "We're going to investigate this place."

-ooOoo-

As they entered the first small house, a wave of horrid stench hit their nostrils. Naruto nearly vomited as he looked to see a pile of decaying bodies in the corner of the living room. He closed the door and spoke while holding his stomach, "Ugh, okay, we're not going in there..."

They continued onward, deciding to stick together just in case. Naruto opened another door while Tenten held shuriken at ready. They were relieved to see that there was no stench to invade their senses this time. Instead, a different sight lay in front of them.

The walls were spattered with dry blood. Some looked to be hand prints, others seemed to show that there was a struggle at some point or another. Signaling for the others to continue onward, they crept silently through the living space and into the kitchen.

They entered the area, but they were interrupted by a loud whisper, "Psst, hey, get the hell back in here and look at this!"

Naruto and a few of the others walked back into the living room, and Hidan stood their, pointing at something down a hallway to a bedroom. The bedroom door wasn't what interested the sadistic shinobi, however. Hidan was pointing to the walls lining either side of the corridor.

"...what the hell...?"

The group was silent, staring at the wall, unable to make heads or tails of it. Eventually Shikamaru spoke, "What do you think they meant by, _'Who is he?'_?"

Spattered across the corridor walls were words, written in blood. Naruto looked across the various lines of crimson writing, frowning as he read over them.

_Can he see us?_

_ Why do they hunger?_

_ Feed!_

_ Shut him up! _

_ Feed!_

_ Silence! Shut him UP!_

_ Who is he? Who is HE?_

_ The bloodied eyes!_

"What kind of drugs were _they_ taking?" muttered Hidan, "It's like they were going insane or something. Look at how the lettering's getting more and more unreadable." He pointed further down to the bottom of the wall where eventually the words were replaced with bloody hand prints, slash marks, and a few holes in the wall, "Someone went on a rampage here, heh."

Naruto looked over the words once more, and then turned to the hallway. He made a single clone and indicated for it to go and open the doorway. The Shadow Clone slowly opened the door, the others ready for an attack. However, no attack came. The clone simply looked around and gave a noise of disgust, "Nothing here...just...more bloody walls, nothing else."

The group eventually met up with some reinforcements Kakashi sent, among them being Kiba and Lee, the two Jounin Naruto had sent out to report to Kakashi, and five Chuunin. Naruto filled the group in on what they had seen, and then headed back to meet with the rest of the ninja.

-ooOoo-

That night proved to be a rather sleepless one for Naruto. He hadn't spoken much since he returned, letting Tenten, Shikamaru, and the others fill in the details. Sakura had noticed, but didn't push him for an answer, deciding to just lie next to him quietly as they drifted off to sleep.

The blond, however, had reason to be silent. He was recalling what his clone had seen earlier. He hadn't spoken about what he had seen earlier, namely for the sake of Itachi and Sasuke.

Shifting once more through the memory of the clone, he replayed the images in his mind.

_The room was an utter disaster. The bed had been ripped apart, the walls lined in blood while the dresser and lamps lay broken on the ground. _

_ As the clone looked further into the room, it spotted a rather detailed image, drawn in blood, of course. The image was of a spiraling, swirling design. A little to the right of the swirl's center was a hole, and within the hole lay a dark circle. Almost like the pupil of an eye. _

_ Around that pupil was a line, and on that line were three small comma like marks. The clone had recognized it almost immediately._

_ The Sharingan._

**End of Chapter Sixteen- Well, I managed to update this again! I have to admit, this fic's been a bit slow going, but I DO enjoy writing it when I do. Not sure why it's not updated more often...hm...**

**Anyway, the suspense continues! The non-mutated shinobi take action! Land of Spring is in dire need of help, it would seem. Will they make it in time? What about the mysterious, foreboding images Naruto had seen? Freaky stuff, eh? Well, keep an eye open for future updates. They're not as frequent as I'd like, but they do happen, lol. Thanks for reading!**


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